US navy destroyers and cruisers ships have been positioned to surround the hijacked Ukrainian vessel loaded with 33 tanks, to protect the tanks and other weapons from miscreants.
Lt Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, said the new vessels had been deployed within 10 miles (16kms) of the ship, The Faina, hijacked by Somali pirates. The Faina had already been surrounded by three warships, including the US destroyer USS Howard.
Christensen assured that the goal of the US Navy is to make sure the crew is safe, and they are no off-loadings of dangerous freight and to make certain that Faina can return to legitimate shipping. The Ukrainian-operated vessel, which had been sailing to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, has been secured near the town of Hobyo.
The cargo ship was hijacked by pirates off Somalia last week. Pirates have said they want a ransom of $20m (£11m) to release the ship.
This situation adds to the crisis of Somalia, a country that has been without an operating central government for over 16 years and has suffered repeated civil strife, with rival armed groups fighting for control. Islamist rebellious groups are battling government troops, their Ethiopian allies and African Union peacekeepers in the capital, Mogadishu
