Hijackers of Ship off Somalia Issue Ultimatum

In this image released by U.S. Navy, the crew of the Ukrainian MV Faina stand on the deck following...

In this image released by U.S. Navy, the crew of the Ukrainian MV Faina stand on the deck following a U.S. Navy request to check on their health and welfare, off Somalia's coast Sunday Oct. 5, 2008. The ship is carrying 33 battle tanks, military weapons and 21 Ukrainian and Latvian and Russian hostages. One Russian has reportedly died, apparently of illness, during the 11-day standoff. The pirates are demanding US$20 million ransom, and say they will not lower the price.

(U.S. Navy, via AP)

The pirates who hijacked an arms-laden Ukrainian tanker off Somalia issued an ultimatum Friday and threatened to destroy the ship if no ransom is paid, a spokesman for the bandits said.

The MV Faina is surrounded by U.S. warships, and a Russian frigate is heading toward the scene, raising the stakes for a possible commando-style raid on the ship. Pirates have seized more than two dozen ships this year off the Horn of Africa, but the hijacking of the Faina has drawn the most international concern because of its dangerous cargo.

The vessel is carrying 33 tanks and other heavy weapons.

Friday's threat was very unusual. Pirates operating off Somalia rarely harm their hostages, instead holding out for a ransom that often exceeds $1 million. But international pressure was mounting regarding the Faina hijacking, with NATO forces planning to deploy.

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"We held a consultative meeting for more than three hours today and decided to blow up the ship and its cargo — us included — if the ship owners did not meet our ransom demand," Sugule Ali told The Associated Press when a reporter called the satellite telephone on board the ship.

He gave the ship owners until Monday night to pay. Ali had said Thursday he was willing to negotiate the ransom demand of $20 million, after nearly two weeks of insisting they would never lower the price.

"Either we achieve our goal and get the ransom or perish along with the ship, its crew and cargo," Ali said.

There are 20 Ukrainian, Latvian and Russian crew members on board. The ship's Russian captain died of a heart condition soon after the hijacking nearly two weeks ago, officials in Moscow say.

The U.S. Navy, which has six warships surrounding the Faina off the central coast of Somalia, had no comment on the pirates' threat Friday, said Lt. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain and helps monitor Somalia's coast.

Momentum has been growing for coordinated international action against the pirate menace.