The owner of the Ukrainian ship Faina and an intermediary are doing their best to agree with Somali pirates on the release of the ship and the crew, the ship owner said on Friday.
“Negotiations are dynamic. Certain problems derive from the lack of a coordinated position of the pirates and a number of factors that influence their mood and behavior,” the owner said.
The owner refuted media reports that claimed alleged threats and violence against the Faina crew. “Such reports are groundless,” the owner said. “The physical condition of the crewmembers is satisfactory. The provision of food, water and fuel is discussed daily. The ship owner, the intermediary and other sides are doing their best to achieve a positive outcome and to speed up the release of the ship and crewmembers on acceptable terms.”
Somali pirates seized the Faina over a month ago. The ship was carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other armaments. Various sources name Kenya and South Sudan as the destination point.
Initially, the ship’s crew was made up of three Russians, 17 Ukrainians and one Latvian. One Russian citizen, captain Vladimir Kolobkov, died of a heart attack.
As the Faina had been carrying arms, the pirates said they wanted to levy a duty on the illegal transportation of military hardware through the Somalia territorial waters. The seized vessel is staying in the port of Hobyo, 500 kilometers northeast of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
NATO warships have encircled the Faina. The alliance command said it would not permit to bring the weaponry from the ship to the shore, where Islamic armed units were fighting against the Somali government.
Russia hopes for happy ending of the Faina situation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 28.
“We are watching the situation hourly and are trying to influence it,” he said. “Both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Navy are engaged in this effort.”
“The situation is difficult and unstable, but we hope that our efforts will be successful. Russia is working together with other countries,” Lavrov said.
“The Neustrashimy patrol ship is moving towards the coast of Somalia. It will interact with other vessels,” Lavrov said, referring to the UN Security Council resolution on the suppression of terrorist acts.
“Any negotiations on the release of hostages are highly sensitive,” the minister said. He abstained from comments on the negotiations in order not to create additional problems.
“We understand the feelings of families. We have agreed to supply additional information to the Foreign Ministry’s St. Petersburg office, so that it convey negotiation details to the families,” he said.
The destination of the weaponry is still in question. Kenya said it had purchased the tanks and other armaments but refused to pay the ransom because the delivery had been incomplete. The Kenyan government said that the owners of the weaponry and the ship must hold negotiations with the assailants. There is also information that the weapons were routed to South Sudan.
Ukrainian First Vice-Premier Alexander Turchinov told a press conference on October 3 that the military hardware carried by the Faina ship had been officially sold to Kenya.
“The weapons were supplied in line with Ukrainian and international norms and on the basis of a contract,” he said.
The seller pledged to bear expenses in the delivery and the insurance of the cargo. Once the cargo was dispatched, the responsibility was taken up by the Kenyan Defense Ministry, Turchinov said.
The pirates initially demanded $20 million and cut the demand to $8 million later.
According to international organizations, pirates have seized about 60 vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean offshore Somalia since the beginning of this year. A total of 374 foreign sailors were taken hostage in September alone, the Copenhagen-based Risk Intelligence said. The company noted that about $1 million had been paid for the release of each vessel on the average.
The coastal waters of Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria and Brazil have become infamous for piracy. There are also pirates in the South China Sea, near Hong Kong and in the Strait of Malacca. More than 500 pirate attacks are registered annually, the German Ship Owners Union said.
“Negotiations are dynamic. Certain problems derive from the lack of a coordinated position of the pirates and a number of factors that influence their mood and behavior,” the owner said.
The owner refuted media reports that claimed alleged threats and violence against the Faina crew. “Such reports are groundless,” the owner said. “The physical condition of the crewmembers is satisfactory. The provision of food, water and fuel is discussed daily. The ship owner, the intermediary and other sides are doing their best to achieve a positive outcome and to speed up the release of the ship and crewmembers on acceptable terms.”
Somali pirates seized the Faina over a month ago. The ship was carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other armaments. Various sources name Kenya and South Sudan as the destination point.
Initially, the ship’s crew was made up of three Russians, 17 Ukrainians and one Latvian. One Russian citizen, captain Vladimir Kolobkov, died of a heart attack.
As the Faina had been carrying arms, the pirates said they wanted to levy a duty on the illegal transportation of military hardware through the Somalia territorial waters. The seized vessel is staying in the port of Hobyo, 500 kilometers northeast of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
NATO warships have encircled the Faina. The alliance command said it would not permit to bring the weaponry from the ship to the shore, where Islamic armed units were fighting against the Somali government.
Russia hopes for happy ending of the Faina situation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 28.
“We are watching the situation hourly and are trying to influence it,” he said. “Both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Navy are engaged in this effort.”
“The situation is difficult and unstable, but we hope that our efforts will be successful. Russia is working together with other countries,” Lavrov said.
“The Neustrashimy patrol ship is moving towards the coast of Somalia. It will interact with other vessels,” Lavrov said, referring to the UN Security Council resolution on the suppression of terrorist acts.
“Any negotiations on the release of hostages are highly sensitive,” the minister said. He abstained from comments on the negotiations in order not to create additional problems.
“We understand the feelings of families. We have agreed to supply additional information to the Foreign Ministry’s St. Petersburg office, so that it convey negotiation details to the families,” he said.
The destination of the weaponry is still in question. Kenya said it had purchased the tanks and other armaments but refused to pay the ransom because the delivery had been incomplete. The Kenyan government said that the owners of the weaponry and the ship must hold negotiations with the assailants. There is also information that the weapons were routed to South Sudan.
Ukrainian First Vice-Premier Alexander Turchinov told a press conference on October 3 that the military hardware carried by the Faina ship had been officially sold to Kenya.
“The weapons were supplied in line with Ukrainian and international norms and on the basis of a contract,” he said.
The seller pledged to bear expenses in the delivery and the insurance of the cargo. Once the cargo was dispatched, the responsibility was taken up by the Kenyan Defense Ministry, Turchinov said.
The pirates initially demanded $20 million and cut the demand to $8 million later.
According to international organizations, pirates have seized about 60 vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean offshore Somalia since the beginning of this year. A total of 374 foreign sailors were taken hostage in September alone, the Copenhagen-based Risk Intelligence said. The company noted that about $1 million had been paid for the release of each vessel on the average.
The coastal waters of Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria and Brazil have become infamous for piracy. There are also pirates in the South China Sea, near Hong Kong and in the Strait of Malacca. More than 500 pirate attacks are registered annually, the German Ship Owners Union said.