NAIROBI, KENYA — A U.S. destroyer and a Russian warship headed Saturday for a possible confrontation with pirates who hijacked a cargo ship carrying battle tanks, machine guns and a crew of 21.
Though pursued by ships from two of the world's biggest naval powers, the pirates showed no sign of surrendering the Ukrainian vessel Faina, which they boarded Thursday off the Somali coast as it headed to Kenya. Instead, according to unconfirmed reports, they were demanding a $35-million ransom to turn over their unconventional booty, which includes 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks.
The pirates also warned against any raids by the U.S. or Russian navies.
The brazen seizure occurred in notoriously dangerous international waters off the Horn of Africa, where pirates exploit Somalia's lawlessness. A Greek oil tanker was also seized by pirates in the area Friday, maritime officials said. And twice this year, French commandos have intervened to rescue citizens taken hostage off Somalia.
Pirates operate with relative freedom and impunity in and around the Somali port city of Eyl in the semiautonomous Puntland region, where officials say more than 300 hostages are being held and several hijacked ships are docked.
"These pirates are well-armed groups with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons," said Bile Mohamoud Qabowsade, a Puntland government advisor. "Even superpower governments have been unable to chase away the pirates. What do you think a feeble, semiautonomous Puntland government can do?"
The unusual nature of the Faina's cargo has put greater scrutiny on the rampant piracy in the region. The international community has only recently begun to respond to the threat to commercial and recreational vessels plying these waters. Even naval ships bristling with sophisticated weaponry may not be immune from attack. This month, the U.S. Navy said one of its ships apparently was fired upon by pirates.
Since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, the country has suffered through civil war, clan divisions, famine and, most recently, an Islamist insurgency. The United Nations abandoned its mission there in 1993 after the downing of a U.S. helicopter led to the deaths of 18 U.S. soldiers. But for the most part, the country's troubles have been confined to its borders.
The pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are pushing Somalia's problems onto the global stage.
