It’s been a busy week:

A Ukrainian ship, the MV Faina carrying 33 72-T tanks was held up by Somali pirates on Thursday 4th September and are demanding $20 million as a ransom.  US navy ship, the guided missile destroyer USS Howard has been monitoring the ship at a distance of one nautical mile, and Russian warship Neustrashimy is reported to be approaching the standoff too.  EU states are also considering contributing three frigates.  The ‘pirates’ have held the original crew captive, and though the captors reiterate that they are safe and have been celebrating the end of Ramadan, one of the 21 captive has reportedly died of ‘hypertension’.

The Faina is also carrying ammunition and grenade launchers and was initially destined for Mombasa in Kenya.  There is another warship monitoring the situation yet it’s not clear what nationality the ship is.

The situation is significant in the context of the high piracy rates off Africa’s coast, and its proximity to the Suez Canal, which according to the Energy Information Administration, is one of several world oil transit chokepoints, taking 4.5 million barrels per day in 2006.

See:

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4900QD.html
http://news.scotsman.com/world/Defiant-pirates-repeat-20m-ransom.4544103.jp
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ihiCUqAF4ZNT_8sWoX3MNdUAzzZg
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints/Background.html