Global General
Somali pirates ask anti-piracy force for help
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-19 10:57
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NAIROBI, Kenya: A shootout between rival Somali pirate gangs over their biggest ransom ever threatened to turn an oil supertanker and the 28 hostages aboard into a massive fireball until bandits begged the international anti-piracy force for help, a negotiator said Monday.
A group of pirates showed up in two speedboats just before a $5.5 million ransom was to be dropped by parachute onto the Maran Centaurus, according to a Somali businessman responsible for the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals.
The crude oil onboard, estimated to be worth some $150 million at the time it was hijacked, is so flammable that smoking is forbidden on deck. Two helicopters chased away the attackers seeking a cut of the ransom after the pirates onboard called frantically for help.
"It's really remarkable: You have the criminals calling on the police to come and help them," said pirate expert Roger Middleton from London-based think tank Chatham House, who said it was the first time he could recall such a situation.
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Cmdr. John Harbour, the spokesman for the European Union Naval Force, said the arrival of the rival pirate gang prompted the pirates onboard the tanker to call for assistance from the anti-piracy force. He could not say whether assistance was provided or confirm the amount of the ransom, but said the Greek warship FS Salamis had been nearby monitoring the situation.
The Somali middleman said two helicopters from a nearby warship intervened in Sunday's dispute, hovering over the attacking skiffs. Just the powerful draft beating down from their rotors was enough to frighten off the attackers, he said, and the gunships did not fire.
He said the attacking gang had told him they were aware of the dangers of an explosion and that their arrival was more of a show of force designed to win a cut of the cash than a real attempt to storm the ship.
After the helicopters chased away the attackers, two planes arrived and the huge bundle of cash was pushed out the back of one with a parachute attached. Most ransoms for ships are now delivered by parachute, although brokers also have used bank transfers or speedboats.
The pirates left the ship Monday morning, Harbour and the middleman said.
In a statement, the owner of the Maran Centaurus declined to give any details about how it negotiated the release of the tanker. The Maran Tankers Management Inc. said the crew members -- 9 Greeks, 16 Filipinos, 2 Ukrainians, and a Romanian -- are safe and well.
