Somali pirates in possession of a Belize-flagged Ukrainian ship on Sunday demanded 5 million dollars in ransom, after originally asking for 35 million, said Andrew Mwangura, head of East Africa's Seafarer's Assistance Programme, according to DPA. The ship, the Faina, was carrying 33 tanks and "weapons of all kinds" destined for Kenya, said a spokesman for the pirates identified as Januna Ali Jama. The reduction of the ranson was mostly likely due to the fact that the tanks were used, and that the pirates faced greater risk of arrest should they attempt to unload the equipment, said Mwangura. The reduced ransom being asked for still exceeds previous demands, which usually hover around the 1- to 2-million-dollar mark. Meanwhile, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that a US Navy destroyer had approached within visibility range of the captured ship. There was no word as to any plan of action by the US military. A Russia military vessel was also said to be headed to the area. Faina was seized late Thursday off Somalia as it headed for the Kenyan port of Mombasa. A total of 21 crew members - 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and one Latvian - were onboard when the ship was chased down and boarded by armed men in three launches.
