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U.S. warships surround hijacked vessel

Pirates took Ukrainian boat carrying arms cache to Sudan

By Kelly Hearn (Contact) | Tuesday, September 30, 2008

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U.S. warships off the coast of Somalia have surrounded a Ukrainian cargo ship hijacked last week by Somali pirates and carrying massive quantities of Russian weapons to Sudan.

Navy Fifth Fleet spokeswoman Cmdr. Jane Campbell told The Washington Times by telephone from Bahrain Monday that ships from the U.S. Fifth Fleet had moved into the vicinity of the hijacked vessel, Faina, anchored near the Somali port city of Hobyo.

"Our effort and mission is based out of concern for the safety of the crew and ensuring that the cargo is not off-loaded, where it could end up in the wrong hands," she said.

A Russian naval vessel is en route to the area, according to Russian news services.

The vessel, carrying arms and 33 tanks, was initially said to be bound for Kenya.

The incident highlights a growing problem of piracy off the East Horn of Africa, a trend that affects both merchant ships and humanitarian aid to the unstable region.

Josette Sheeran, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, said Monday that the Canadian navy was protecting ships delivering U.N. food to Somalia.

"We need naval escort," she told the Women's Foreign Policy Group in Washington. "Canada came to the rescue for the next three weeks. [After that], I have no idea how we'll get food into Somalia."

Somali pirates have attacked more than 60 vessels this year off the Somali coast and adjoining Gulf of Aden, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which called the onslaught the biggest spike in piracy in modern times.

Earlier this month, a German shipowner paid ransom to Somali pirates to release one of his ships. The pirates aboard the Ukrainian-operated freighter told reporters by telephone that they want $20 million to release the ship and its cargo of T-72 tanks, rifles and ammunition.