Pirates demand ransom for tanker

Harardhare: Pirates have demanded a ransom for oil-laden Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, amid reports that three other merchant vessels have been hijacked in one of the worst spates of attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

"Negotiators are onboard the ship and on land,'' a man identifying himself as Farah Abd Jameh, a member of the group that hijacked the Saudi tanker, said in an audio tape aired by Al Jazeera television.

"Once they agree on the ransom, it will be taken in cash to the oil tanker.''

He didn't say how much money his group wants.

Saudi Arabia's state-owned shipping line, Vela International Marine Ltd. said on Tuesday that it set up negotiation teams to free the tanker, Sirius Star, and its crew of 25, seized on November 15. The vessel is carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude valued at $110 million.

Since January, at least 91 vessels have been attacked in the Gulf of Aden. Since then, both Indian and British naval ships have engaged pirates in combat and French commandos freed two nationals held by hijackers.

Ransom payments have spurred raiders to step up their activities, the International Maritime Bureau says, even as Nato, European Union, Indian, Malaysian and Russian naval fleets patrol the waters in an anti-piracy mission. Nato said on Wednesday that it didn't plan to increase its mission in the region.

The Sirius Star is anchored near Harardhare, a town in Somalia's semi-autonomous northern Puntland region.

"We assure the safety of the ship carrying the ransom,'' the man said in the Al Jazeera broadcast, warning against any attempts to use counterfeit cash.