Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has received information indicating that
the MV Faina cargo ship, seized by Somali pirates almost two months
ago, may be released soon, a spokesman said Monday.
The Faina, carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other heavy weaponry, was seized
by Somali pirates on September 25. The pirates initially demanded a $35
million ransom, but this has since been lowered to $3 million.
However, Vasiliy Kirilich refused to answer any more questions on the
topic, saying it was "not a matter for public discussion."
He did say however that Ukraine had no intention of paying a ransom and
that it was involved in "diplomatic measures to speed up the release of
the crew of the seized vessel."
France Press reported from the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Sunday
that an agreement to release the ship had been reached, and that the
vessel and its crew would be freed soon.
The crew is made up of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians, and one Latvian.
The Russian captain of the Faina, Vladimir Kolobkov, died of a heart
attack after the vessel was seized, and his body is still on board.
The pirates said nearly three weeks ago that supplies of fresh water and food on board the vessel were running low.
A spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet earlier claimed that the
intended destination for the weapons was southern Sudan's rebel region,
and not Kenya as had been announced.
Both the Ukrainian and Kenyan authorities have denied the allegation.
News on the possible release of the Faina follows a report that a Saudi
supertanker seized by the pirates on November 15 could be released in
the next 48 hours.
Somali pirates have attacked around 90 ships so far this year,
resulting in the seizure of around 39 vessels, including 200 crew
members. The east African nation has been without a functioning
government since 1991.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his quarterly report to the UN
Security Council in November that pirates had earned up to $30 million
in ransoms this year. The Security Council has also adopted a
British-proposed resolution on tougher sanctions against Somalia over
the country's failure to prevent a surge in sea piracy.
NATO and the EU are to launch on December 8 a joint naval operation,
dubbed Atalanta, against piracy near the coast of Somalia. The
operation could involve up to 10 warships.
RIA Novosti
