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Russia sends ship to Somali coast to fight piracy

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-26 23:53

MOSCOW -- Russia's navy said Friday it had sent a warship to Somalia's coast a day after pirates seized a Ukrainian vessel loaded with 33 tanks, ammunition and some Russian crew members.

The navy commander ordered a patrol ship from Russia's Baltic Sea fleet to the area, navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said in a statement.

Ukrainian officials and an anti-piracy watchdog said pirates seized a Ukrainian cargo vessel with 21 people aboard off eastern Somalia on Thursday. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said three Russians were among those on board.

Ukrainian officials said Friday the ship seized was carrying 33 Russian T-72 tanks and a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts. It was unclear where the tanks were being shipped to, though the ITAR-Tass news agency said they had been sold to Kenya. The officials said the tanks were sold in accordance with international law.

The hijacking brings the number of attacks off Somalia to 61 this year, and pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew members, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia.

Dygalo said Russia's navy would periodically send ships to piracy-prone areas to protect Russian citizens and Russian ships. He said the patrol ship had left the Russian port of Baltiisk on Wednesday "with the aim of providing for a naval presence in a number of oceans and sea regions."

Dygalo's statement did not specifically mention the seizure of the Ukrainian ship, which occurred a day later. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Russia has been seeking to revive its navy in the wake of the Soviet collapse and expand its global presence. A naval squadron is on its way to Venezuela for joint exercises.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, meanwhile, ordered unspecified measures to secure the release of the crew. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it had no information on the ship's cargo.