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Somalian pirates threaten to blow up cargo ship

11/10/2008

An Ukranian cargo ship carrying military tanks will be blown up unless a $20 million (£12 million) ransom is paid, Somalian pirates have threatened.

Talks to free the MV Faina vessel stalled on Friday and a spokesman for the pirate group told news agencies the ship would be destroyed unless their ransom demands were met.

"The negotiations with the owner of the ship have totally collapsed," Sugule Ali, a spokesman for the pirates, said.

"The owners are changing their mind from time to time, maybe because they are being advised by somebody that they can resolve the matter militarily."

He was later quoted by the AFP news agency as saying: "We held a consultative meeting for more than three hours today and decided to blow up the ship and its cargo - us included - if the ship owners did not meet our ransom demand."

He added: "After three days, starting from tomorrow, the news of the ship will be closed. Either we achieve our goal and get the ransom or perish along with the ship, its crew and cargo."

The MV Faina is surrounded by US warships and a Russian frigate is on its way to offer support, raising the possibility of a raid to overthrow the pirates.

The Ukranian vessel, bound for Kenya, is carrying 33 tanks and was seized on September 25th, with one member of the crew - believed to be a Russian - dying of a stroke shortly afterwards.

An argument between the Somali pirates over what to do with their seized cargo ended with three men being shot earlier this week, though it is not clear whether any of the three men survived the incident

This is the latest in a series of hijackings in the waters off the Somali coast, which are a bottleneck for international shipping and fast becoming notorious as one of the worst areas for piracy in the world.