Pirates' demand now $5M for weapons vessel

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The ransom for the safe return of a Ukrainian vessel loaded with weapons and tanks that was seized by pirates is now at $5 million, an official says.

Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association said while pirates initially asked for $35 million for the vessel's safe return, they lowered their demand significantly due to the secondhand nature of the weapons and the fact the vessel's crew is not from the United States, CNN reported Saturday.

The Faina was seized by the pirates in the Gulf of Aden Thursday as the ship was traveling from Ukraine to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman says.

The ministry has confirmed the ship was carrying 33 tanks and tank artillery shells, along with small arms and grenade launchers.

The ransom demand comes as a growing number of ships in the gulf have been targeted by pirates.

The International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia told The Washington Post Saturday that 17 of the 61 reported pirate attacks in the region have happened in the first two weeks of September, compared to 13 pirate attacks in all of 2007.