Sunday, October 12, 2008
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Pirates holding a Ukranian arms ship off the Somalia Coast have rejected a local mediator, delaying efforts to free the freighter laden with battle tanks and other arms.
Elders and a pirate say on Saturday they had agreed to free the ship, hijacked on September 25 while headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, but later they walked out of the deal insisting that Somali mediators be withdrawn.
Elders in the Harardhere where the MV Faina ship with 21 crew members is anchored said the hijackers agreed to receive 10 million US dollars for the release of the ship but halted the talks because of the Somali Brokers.
The pirates said the negotiation on the ransom figure will resume in four days with new brokers.
US warships and navies from other nations are surrounding the MV Faina to prevent the pirates from offloading the cargo.
Source: KBC, Oct 12, 2008