Somali pirates build up defences after making ransom demand

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Somali pirates build up defences after making ransom demand

55 minutes ago

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Somali pirates built up their defences around a

captured Saudi Arabian super-tanker Friday after demanding a 25

million dollar 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 neighbouring

Gulgudud and Mudug regions.

Local militia and hardline Shebab fighters also arrived in Harardhere

in what some residents said was a move to position themselves for a

share of any ransom paid.

" There are two armed vehicles belonging to al Shebab. They have

reached the town of Harardhere but there are no intentions of

attacking the ship from here, " a Harardhere Islamist official told

AFP by phone.

" There are many militiamen who have arrived in the town and they want

to get a share from the pirates if the ransom is paid, " said Ahmed

Abdullahi, a local elder. " They believe this ship is huge and the

owner will pay a lot of money. "

The Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, and its 100 million

dollar load of oil was seized last Saturday and taken to Harardhere,

300 kilometres (180 miles) north of lawless Somalia's capital

Mogadishu.

The pirates on Thursday gave the owners 10 days to pay a 25 million

dollar ransom.

Speaking from the tanker, a pirate who identified himself as Mohamed

Said threatened " disastrous " consequences should Vela International,

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.

He did not specify the threatened action but the 330-metre (1,000

foot) long tanker is carrying two million barrels of crude oil.

Environmental groups have warned of a huge catastrophe if oil from

the super-tanker was released.

Some experts have told AFP that the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship seized

by the same pirates in September with a cargo of tanks and other

weaponry, was booby-trapped by the hijackers.

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 organisations 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 Saudi tanker in 16 minutes on Saturday,

according to a military report obtained by AFP.

The United States said it would seek support at the United Nations

for a resolution to tighten international measures against Somali

pirates.

Saudi 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, " Prince

Saud told reporters in Oslo.

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 ground military operation to crush

piracy.

After the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said the pirates were

now " out of control, " Arab nations bordering the Red Sea meting in

Cairo on Thursday and pledged cooperation to end the threat -- but

offered few specifics.

Oslo-based Frontline Ltd, the world's biggest oil tanker company,

said that a more aggressive military approach was needed.

" I think that's the only solution, " Jensen, the company's

acting chief executive officer told AFP.

Other maritime groups have decided to steer clear of Somalia's

treacherous waters by diverting ships to the Cape of Good Hope,

despite the extra delays and costs.

Danish group A.P. Moller-Maersk has ordered some vessels to re-route.