This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7637257.stm
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Somali pirates 'seize 30 tanks' | Somali pirates 'seize 30 tanks' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Pirates off the coast of Somalia have seized a Ukrainian ship carrying T-72 tanks, an official has said. | Pirates off the coast of Somalia have seized a Ukrainian ship carrying T-72 tanks, an official has said. |
| Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing under a Belize flag to the Kenyan port of Mombasa. | Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing under a Belize flag to the Kenyan port of Mombasa. |
| A report from Russia's Interfax news agency said earlier that the ship had a cargo of about 30 tanks, as well as spare parts for armoured vehicles. | A report from Russia's Interfax news agency said earlier that the ship had a cargo of about 30 tanks, as well as spare parts for armoured vehicles. |
| There has been a recent surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia. | There has been a recent surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia. |
| Somali pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. | Somali pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. |
| It was not immediately clear where the Ukrainian ship had been taken. | |
| Speed boats | |
| Andrew Mwngura, who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, confirmed to the BBC that the ship was carrying a cargo of tanks. | |
| The tanks were to be transported by road from Kenya to South Sudan. | |
| The Ukrainian foreign ministry said the ship's captain had reported being surrounded by three boats of armed men on Thursday afternoon. | |
| Insurgents in Somalia, not known to have links to the pirates, are currently battling a combination of government troops, their Ethiopian allies and African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia. | Insurgents in Somalia, not known to have links to the pirates, are currently battling a combination of government troops, their Ethiopian allies and African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia. |
| The country has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading to a collapse of law and order both on land and the sea. | The country has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading to a collapse of law and order both on land and the sea. |
| The US has an anti-terror task force based in neighbouring Djibouti and has carried out several air strikes against the Islamist insurgents, accusing them of sheltering al-Qaeda operatives. |