Pirate Hijacking Resolved Peacefully; U.S. Monitors Situation

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 5, 2009 - Pirates today released the Ukrainian ship Faina, which they had held for ransom along with its 21-member crew and cargo since hijacking the vessel off the coast of Somalia in September. The ship's crew was released unharmed, and the U.S. military is monitoring the situation, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

"I think that it is always a good outcome when there are not lives that are lost," Whitman said of the hijacking's peaceful outcome.

Seagoing pirates operating off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen have preyed on commercial shipping, often holding captured vessels, cargoes and crews for millions of dollars in ransom money. The problem seemed to worsen until last month's stand-up of a multinational, anti-pirate consortium known as Combined Task Force 151.

The pirates who hijacked the Faina reportedly were paid a sizable ransom that was air-dropped aboard the hijacked vessel.

The pirates may have gotten away in this instance, but that doesn't take away from the fact that piracy is a crime, Whitman said.

Piracy "is a troubling and concerning activity, as we've talked about in the past; it's an illegal activity," Whitman said.

"But, I guess if there's any silver lining," Whitman continued, "it's that in most of these cases to date, [the] crews have ultimately been released unharmed."

The Faina was transporting an estimated $30 million of Russian military equipment to Kenya when it was intercepted Sept. 25 by pirates cruising off the coast of Somalia.

Kenya is an east African nation that faces the Indian Ocean. Kenya's neighbors include Ethiopia and Somalia to the north and northeast, Uganda and Sudan to the northwest, and Tanzania to the south.

U.S. authorities were not concerned that the military equipment aboard the Faina was to be delivered to Kenya, a U.S. ally in the region, officials said. In fact, the Kenyan government announced recently that it would try pirates captured by the U.S. military.

The key Pentagon concern in the days after the Faina's hijacking was that the ship's cargo could be sold to terrorists.

"Our concern is making sure that this cargo does not end up in the hands of anyone who would use it in a way that would be destabilizing to the region, and we have committed significant resources to make sure those objectives are met," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Sept. 30.