ITALY/KENYA: Saudi Arabia says owners of hijacked Saudi tanker in ransom talks, as pirates face Kenyan courts

Record ID: 360873

  • Title: ITALY/KENYA: Saudi Arabia says owners of hijacked Saudi tanker in ransom talks, as pirates face Kenyan courts
  • Date: 20th November 2008
  • Summary: (W3) MOMBASA, KENYA (NOVEMBER 19, 2008) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF MOMBASA LAW COURTS
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVACEHVN5CBFXG5RL0GTHPPUSN9V
  • Story Text: Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Wednesday (November 19) the owners of a hijacked Saudi supertanker with a 100 million US dollar oil cargo are in negotiations over a possible ransom payment.
    "I know that the owners of the tanker, they are negotiating on the issue. We do not like to negotiate with either terrorists or hijackers. But the owners of the tanker, they are the final arbiters of what happens there.
    What we know is that we are going to join the task force that will try and eradicate this threat to international trade," said Prince Saud al-Faisal at a news conference in Rome where he has been meeting the Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini.
    Increasingly brazen pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean waters off Somalia has driven up insurance costs, forced some ships to go round South Africa instead of through the Suez Canal, and secured millions of dollars in ransoms.
    The seizure of recent ships have been carried out despite an international naval response, including from the NATO alliance and European Union, to protect one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
    The U.S. navy said pirates had transported the Saudi ship Sirius Star -- seized 450 nautical miles southeast off Kenya at the weekend in the boldest strike to date by Somali pirates -- to Haradheere port half-way up Somalia's long coastline.
    Vela, the shipping arm of Saudi Arabia's Aramco oil company, said the 25 crew members were believed to be safe -- they are from Croatia, Britain, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia -- and their safety was the top priority.
    Eight suspected Somali pirates were facing court in the Kenyan town of Mombasa on Wednesday.
    All pleaded not guilty to a charge sheet that accused them of attacking a detaining a sailing vessel called 'Waadi Omar 2' on November 8 and 9th.
    The suspects were remanded in Shimo la Tewa prison, and will be back in court on November 24.
    They had been handed over to Kenyan police on Tuesday (November 18) by the British Navy. The pirates were apprehended by crew members on the HMS Cumberland a week earlier (November 11) after a gunfight which left two pirates dead.
    Their firearms - seven AK-47's, pistols and missile launchers were also captured.
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