5 Somali Pirates Drown With Ransom

[Dave Shirlaw]

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:20 p.m. ET January 10, 2009

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Five of the pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker
drowned with their share of a $3 million ransom, a relative said Saturday, the day after the
bundle of cash was apparently dropped by parachute onto the deck of the ship.

The Sirius Star and its 25 crew sailed safely away Friday at the end of a two-month
standoff in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates attacked over 100 ships last year. Hundreds
more kidnapped sailors remain in the hands of pirates.

Piracy is one of the few ways to make money in Somalia. Half the population is dependent
on aid and a whole generation has grown up knowing nothing but war. A recent think-
tank report said pirates raked in more than $30 million in ransoms last year.

Somalia's lawless coastline borders one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which links
the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Attacks have continued
despite the patrols by warships from France, Germany, Britain, America, India and China.

The naval coalition has been closely monitoring both the Sirius Star and the Faina, a
Ukrainian ship loaded with military tanks that has been held since September. The seizure
of the Sirius Star on Nov. 15 prompted fears that the pirates might release some of the
cargo of crude oil into the ocean, causing an environmental disaster as a way of
pressuring negotiators. At the time, the oil was valued at $100 million.

Abukar Haji, uncle of one of the dead men, blamed the naval surveillance for the accident
that killed his pirate nephew Saturday.

''The boat the pirates were traveling in capsized because it was running at high speed
because the pirates were afraid of an attack from the warships patrolling around,'' he said.

''There has been human and monetary loss but what makes us feel sad is that we don't
still have the dead bodies of our relatives. Four are still missing and one washed up on the
shore.''

Pirate Daud Nure said three of the eight passengers had managed to swim to shore after
the boat overturned in rough seas. He was not part of the pirate operation but knew those
involved.

''Here in Haradhere the news is grim, relatives are looking for their dead,'' he said.

The tanker had left Somali territorial waters and was on its way home Saturday, said Saudi
Arabian oil minister Ali Naimi. A Saudi Oil Ministry official said the ship was headed for
Dammam, on the country's Gulf coast, but gave no estimated time of arrival. The official
spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The U.S. Navy, which announced this week it will head a new anti-piracy task force,
released photos Friday showing a parachute, carrying what was described as ''an apparent
payment,'' floating down toward the tanker.

The Liberian-flagged ship is owned by Vela International Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of Saudi
oil company Aramco.

''All the crew members are safe and I am glad to say that they are all in good health and
high spirits,'' said a statement by Saleh K'aki, president and CEO of Vela. ''Throughout this
ordeal, our sole objective was the safe and timely release of the crew. That has been
achieved today.''

But over a dozen ships and around 300 crew members are still being held. The capture of
the Sirius Star has already demonstrated the pirates' ability to strike high value targets
hundreds of miles offshore.

On the same day the Saudi ship was freed, pirates released a captured Iranian-chartered
cargo ship, Iran's state television reported Saturday. The ship Delight was carrying 36 tons
of wheat when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 18 and seized by pirates. All 25
crew are in good health and the vessel is sailing toward Iran, the TV report said. It did not
say if a ransom was paid.

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Associated Press Writers Salad Duhul in Mogadishu, Somalia and Brian Murphy in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press