Somali Pirates Killed in Fight Over Ransom for Tanker
At least three Somali pirates were killed
and three others wounded in an overnight gun battle in the town of Haradhere over the sharing of a ransom paid for the release of a Greek-flagged supertanker, elders and pirates said.
“The fighting started during an argument over the dividing of the ransom paid for the ship,” Bashir Shiine Muse, a pirate who claims his group hijacked the Maran Centaurus, said by telephone from Haradhere today. “Three men died and three others were wounded during the crossfire. Local elders are trying to mediate between the two sides.”
The ransom, believed to be a record $7 million, was dropped onto the tanker on Jan. 17, Muse said.
ATM Parts“There is mistrust within the group because there are rumors that some extra money has been transferred into another bank account that some of us weren’t aware of,” he said.
The 2-million barrel carrier was seized about 800 miles (1,280 kilometers) off the Somali coast on Nov. 29 while sailing to the U.S. from Kuwait. It was steered toward the Somali coast
where it lay at anchor off the port of Hobyo, the International Maritime Bureau said on Dec. 10. The oil it is carrying is estimated to be worth $150 million.
“The situation in Haradhere is little bit calm this morning because local elders are engaging to mediate between them,” Abdiwahab Mo’lim Hassan, a local elder in the town, said by phone today. “We can see that both sides are regrouping and they are really equipped with heavy weapons.”
Surge in Piracy
The East African country has led a global surge in piracy this year, according to the IMB. Attacks worldwide had surpassed levels for all of 2008 by the end of September, the group, which is part of the International Chamber of Commerce, has said.
The number of attacks in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast more than tripled to 47 in the nine-month period from 12 a year earlier,
ATM Parts while incidents in the Gulf of Aden increased to 100 from 51, according to the bureau.
A total of 306 attacks had taken place worldwide by Sept. 30, compared with 293 for 2008, its figures show.
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