wow these time they struck gold....no escort, no guards. Russia
is now joining the patrol.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali pirates have seized a Ukrainian ship
carrying more than 30 tanks to Kenya and Russia said on Friday it
was sending a warship to combat piracy in the region.
The U.N. World Food Program said Canada had extended its naval
escorts of food aid shipments for another month.
Pirates have captured more than 30 vessels off Somalia this
year, making its waters the most dangerous in the world and
threatening a globally important shipping lane between Europe and
Asia. The gangs seek, and often receive, large ransoms.
The Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Program
said the Ukrainian ship, sailing under a Belize flag, was seized on
Thursday.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov, quoted by the news
agency Interfax Ukraine, said its cargo included 33 T-72 tanks
being sold to Kenya under a legal contract.
He told reporters in Kiev that the cargo included grenade
launchers and ammunition.
"All this is being sold in full accordance with Ukrainian
legislation," Yekhanurov was quoted as saying.
Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua confirmed that the
military equipment was destined for Kenya
