Pirates holding supertanker warn against navy raid

Somali pirates who captured an oil-laden Greek tanker a week ago yesterday warned against any attempt by foreign naval forces to free the vessel by force.

Hijacked on November 29 with a crew of 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and a Romanian, the Greek-flagged Maran Centaurus - a very large crude carrier - is now anchored off the pirate lair of Haradhere, they said.

"We are getting some information that foreign forces are planning to free the ship by force but we warn against any such endeavour because it will have very unpleasant consequences," a pirate who gave his name as Abdi Hasan said.

"There are more than 50 men on board the tanker now and we are prepared resist any rescue attempt," he told AFP by phone from Haradhere. The 1995-built supertanker, the second largest vessel ever seized by Somali pirates, is carrying crude oil and could cause environmental damage of historic proportions if it ran aground or armed fighting erupted on board.

On December 2, the 332-metre-long ship was brought to the pirate base of Hobyo but has subsequently been moved further south to Harardhere, local fishermen said.

"The big ship is now close to the coast of Harardhere and there are many heavily-armed pirates shuttling between the ship and the shore all the time," Osmail Abdullahi Togane, one of the fishermen, said.

"They are guarding this ship more than others, I think they fear attacks by the warship that can be seen patrolling further out in the ocean," he said.

In a statement issued last Wednesday the operators and managers of the hijacked tanker, Maran Tankers Management Inc, said they "remain totally committed to ensuring the safety of those on board and their speedy release".

"Contacts have started between those holding the ship and the people representing the owners in an effort to expedite the release of the ship," Abdi Yare, another Harardhere-based pirate, told AFP.

"I don't have details of the discussions right now but the pirates' only demand is a ransom. It's all about the ransom," he said.

The ship, the first known case of Greek-flagged ship being hijacked, was headed from Saudi Arabia to the United States with an estimated $20 million worth of crude oil.