On 25 September 2008, the
Faina was hijacked by approximately 50
Somali pirates calling themselves the Central Regional Coast Guard. The ship was allegedly heading to
Mombasa,
Kenya, from Ukraine with 33
Soviet-made
T-72 tanks, weapons (including
rocket-propelled grenades and
anti-aircraft guns) The pirates said they were unaware of the ship's cargo before they captured it. However, the pirates claim that documents found on board indicate that the arms cargo was destined for
Juba,
Southern Sudan, instead of Kenya, as originally understood. The ransom amount was reported as US$35 million, US$20 million, US$8 million, and US$5 million in the weeks following the capture. The threat was later withdrawn. The pirates initially set a course for the pirate haven of
Eyl, but instead anchored near the village of Hinbarwaqo after the
U.S. Navy's caught up to them. Supplies of fuel for electrical generation were accepted on board, and food and drinking water were later delivered to the ship. The
Howard engaged the
Faina in pursuit within several hundred yards to stop the unloading of the cargo by the pirates. Later, the
Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser and other U.S. warships joined the
Howard and surrounded the
Faina with the
Russian missile frigate patrolling the Somali coast. American helicopters and other aircraft flew over the
Faina. Warships from the U.S. Navy and other navies
blockaded the MV
Faina in a port off Somalia's
Indian Ocean coast. However, pirates wanted to unload small weapons from the cargo near Hinbarwaqo, even while warned not to do so by surrounding naval ships. Three of the hijackers were reportedly killed during a gunfight between rival pirates. This report was denied by the pirates, who said that they were celebrating
Eid ul-Fitr, and were "happy on the ship" and were "celebrating",
International reactions Russia, Somalia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and
NATO cooperated to try to recover the ship. This incident and further hijackings renewed international efforts to stem Somali piracy. On 7 October 2008, because of the rise in hijackings—besides the
Faina, some eleven other vessels were hijacked—the
United Nations Security Council adopted
resolution 1838, which "
calls upon all states interested in the security of maritime activities to take part actively in the fight against piracy on the high seas off the coast of Somalia, in particular by deploying naval vessels and military aircraft." NATO authorized a force of frigates to patrol Somalia's waters, India fired on a pirate ship, and the coast of Somalia was to be blockaded by navies of many nations.
Puntland Minister of Fisheries
Ahmed Said Aw-nur advocated storming the
Faina with European or American commandos, saying, "[a] military operation has to be taken." The Somali insurgency group
Al-Shabaab advised the pirates to "either burn down the ship and its arms or sink it" if the ransom was not paid.
Hostage revolt On Tuesday, 9 December 2008, the pirates holding the ship and its crew hostage told the AFP that two of the hostages had unsuccessfully tried to revolt against the pirates the previous Monday. This revolt was put down shortly after, and the spokesman for the pirates reported that they would take "serious punitive measures" against the crewmembers. However, the account of the pirates concerning the revolt was disputed by Mikhail Voitenko, a writer for the Russian
Sovfracht Maritime Bulletin, who called the story a "canard" and "threat" that was meant to cover for the capture by American forces of two of the pirates from the
Faina who were heading for shore, and the failed bid of the pirates to convince the intermediaries and the ship owner to speak to the Americans and gain the captured pirates' release.
Release On 5 February 2009, the MV
Faina was released after being held captive for 5 months. The remaining crew of 20 were freed along with the ship and were reported by the Ukrainian presidency as being healthy and safe. A ransom of US$3,200,000 was paid on 4 February 2009 by the ship's mysterious owners. The pirates left the vessel early the next day, stating that the release had been delayed for one hour, but the ship was eventually released. An inquiry by the Kenyan parliamentary Defence and Foreign Relations Committee failed to determine the destination of the cargo. The chairman of the committee
Adan Keynan criticised the
Kenyan Ministry of Defence for non-cooperation and secret-keeping. == Gallery ==