MOGADISHU, Somalia — The body of a Somali pirate who drowned just after receiving a huge ransom washed onshore with $153,000 in cash, a resident said today, as the spokesman for another group of pirates promised to soon free a Ukrainian arms ship.
Five pirates drowned Friday when their small boat capsized after they received a reported $3 million ransom for releasing a Saudi oil tanker. Local resident Omar Abdi Hassan said one of the bodies had been found on a beach near the coastal town of Haradhere and relatives were searching for the other four.
“One of them was discovered and they are still looking for the other ones. He had $153,000 in a plastic bag in his pocket,” he said.
The U.S. navy released photos of a parachute dropping a package onto the deck of the Sirius Star, and said the package was likely to be the ransom delivery.
But five of the dozens of pirates who had hijacked the tanker drowned when their small boat capsized as they returned to shore in rough weather. Three other pirates survived but also lost their share of the ransom.
Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of the British company Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service Ltd, said the incident was unlikely to deter attacks.
“The loss or potential loss of the ransom means the pirates will be all the more keen to get the next ransom in,” he said. “There are people lining up to be pirates.”
The Sirius Star had been held near the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was loaded with 33 Soviet-designed battle tanks and crates of small arms. The same day the Sirius Star was released, the family members of the Faina crew appealed for help, saying they were not being kept informed about the negotiations or the state of their loved ones’ health.
But a pirate spokesman assured the Associated Press today that the 20 crew members on the MV Faina were doing well.
“The cargo is still there unharmed and the crew is healthy,” Sugule Ali said. “Once the negotiations end in mutual understanding, the ship, its crew and the cargo as well will be released.”
American warships have been closely monitoring the Faina amid fears that some of the weapons onboard could be taken onshore and fall into the hands of Islamic insurgents.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
