NAIROBI: As the Nov. 30 deadline for pirates holding the Saudi Aramco supertanker Sirius Star ticked away, the hijackers were hoping for a “favorable” response to their $25 million demand.
Mohamed Sayeed, the leader of the gang that seized the Sirius Star on Nov. 15, said negotiations to free the vessel were ongoing but did not know when they would conclude.
He was yet to comment on the fate of the ship — the biggest ever seized by pirates — as their ransom ultimatum drew near. The ship’s seizure has sown panic across the shipping world with some firms opting to re-route to the Cape of Good Hope, causing delays and hiking costs.
Ethiopia on Saturday accused its archrival Eritrea of supporting the pirates, whose rampant attacks on vessels have threatened to choke one of the world’s key maritime routes.Meanwhile, Somali pirates and owners of a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks and other military hardware have reached a deal to release the vessel, a Kenyan maritime official said yesterday.
Gunmen captured the MV Faina on Sept. 24, with its cargo of T-72 tanks, grenade launchers and ammunition, and demanded $20 million in ransom.
“They have reached a deal but are still discussing the modalities of releasing the ship, crew and cargo,” said Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Program. “Talks on how to deliver the money are ongoing. What I hear is that things are good and that the ship should be released.”
The 20 crew members aboard include 17 Ukrainians, Russians and Latvians.
A piracy wave in the Gulf of Aden has jacked up shipping insurance costs, sent foreign warships rushing to the area, and left about a dozen vessels with more than 200 hostages still in hijackers’ hands.
Taking advantage of chaos on shore, where insurgency has raged for nearly two years, Somali pirates have made most of their attacks in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia, a major global sea artery used by about 20,000 vessels a year heading to and from the Suez Canal.
The gangs seek, and often receive, large ransoms.
Separately, a senior police officer in Kenya’s North Eastern Province told Reuters yesterday he expected two Italian nuns abducted in Kenyan territory near the Somali border three weeks ago would be released today or tomorrow.
“The negotiations for their release have not failed. We are happy with the progress and, in fact, expect them back early next week,” said regional police commander Stephen Chelimo.
