MOGADISHU: Somali pirates built up their defenses around Sirius Star, the captured Saudi Aramco supertanker, yesterday after demanding a $25 million ransom.
As foreign navies sent warships to Somalia’s dangerous waters and shipping companies sought alternative routes, extra clan militia and other fighters were brought in at the pirate lair of Harardhere, residents said.
“Some of them are inside the town and others are taking shelter in a nearby village and can be called if need be,” local resident Mohamed Awale told AFP. He said the fighters had come from neighboring Gulgudud and Mudug regions.
Local militia and hard-line Shebab fighters also arrived in Harardhere in what some residents said was a move to position themselves for a share of any ransom paid.
The Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, and its $100 million load of oil was seized last Saturday and taken to Harardhere, 300 km north of lawless Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
The pirates on Thursday gave the owners 10 days to pay a $25 million ransom.
Speaking from the supertanker, a pirate, who identified himself as Mohamed Sayeed, threatened “disastrous” consequences should Vela International, the shipping arm of the Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco, fail to comply.
“The Saudis have 10 days to comply, otherwise we will take action that could be disastrous,” he said.
Environmental groups have warned of a huge catastrophe if oil from the supertanker was released.
With close to 100 attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean this year, the pirates now pose a growing threat to international trade. Pirates with no confirmed links to bigger organizations and relatively modest means have seized ships of all sizes and in an ever-growing area.
Two speedboats with pirates armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-launchers seized the supertanker in 16 minutes on Saturday, according to a military report obtained by AFP.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said he was opposed to any negotiations with pirates. “Like terrorism, it is an evil that has to be eradicated,” he told reporters in Oslo yesterday.
In Nairobi, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed “everything must be done to eradicate piracy.” Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula warned that the current efforts to fight piracy are doomed if they not coordinated. “It will be difficult to fight this criminal enterprise, we need to have a coordinated approach so that we are not all operating at individual country level because this is no longer an individual country issue,” he said.
The Indian frigate INS Tabar, one of dozens of warships from several countries protecting commercial shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, sank a Somali pirate ship Tuesday after coming under fire. Russia announced it would send more warships to combat piracy and also called for an international military operation to crush the menace.
