In this July 30, 2006 file photo Russian missile frigate Neustrashimy seen in the Baltic Sea port of Baltiisk, Russia. Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo told The Associated Press on Friday that the missile frigate Neustrashimy, left Baltiisk port and is now ordered directly to the Somalia coast following the high jacking of a Ukrainian ship on Thursday. Pirates seized a Ukrainian ship, the Faina, carrying 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks and a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts, off the Horn of Africa and are now seeking a ransom. (AP Photo)From ABC News:
US destroyer closes in on hijacked ship off Somalia, monitors pirates
A U.S. destroyer off the coast of Somalia closed in Saturday on a hijacked Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and ammunition, watching it to ensure the pirates who seized it do not try to remove any cargo or crew.
As Russian and American ships pursued the hijackers of the Ukrainian-operated vessel, pirates seized another ship off Somalia's coast, an international anti-piracy group said.
The Greek tanker with a crew of 19 is carrying refined petroleum from Europe to the Middle East. It was ambushed Friday in the Gulf of Aden, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia. He said pirates chased and fired at the ship before boarding it.
In Somalia, a man claiming to be spokesman of the pirates holding the Ukrainian ship said the hijackers want $35 million to release the vessel. But there was no way to immediately verify his claim that he represented the pirates.
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My Comment: The Somali pirates want $35 million dollars. I doubt that they are going to get that amount. It will take a few weeks before the Russians are in a position to act .... expect fireworks to happen when that day arrives.
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