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/7739153.stm
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 6 | Version 7 |
|---|---|
| Crisis meeting over Somali piracy | Crisis meeting over Somali piracy |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A spate of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia has prompted emergency talks between nations bordering the Red Sea to deal with the problem. | |
| Officials from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen and a member of Somalia's government attended a private meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. | |
| It came amid a report that pirates who hijacked a Saudi oil tanker on Saturday are demanding a $25m (£17m) ransom. | |
| However, the Sirius Star's owners have cast doubt on that figure. | |
| The tanker, the biggest ever hijacked by the pirates, is carrying a cargo of 2m barrels - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m. | |
| It is now anchored off the Somali coast with around 25 crew members being held as hostages. | It is now anchored off the Somali coast with around 25 crew members being held as hostages. |
| Payments for hostage-taking are only an encouragement to further hostage-taking UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband India praised for sinking pirates | Payments for hostage-taking are only an encouragement to further hostage-taking UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband India praised for sinking pirates |
| A pirate on board the vessel calling himself Mohamed Said was quoted by news agency AFP as saying that the Saudi owners, Vela International, had been set a 10-day deadline to hand over a $25m ransom. | A pirate on board the vessel calling himself Mohamed Said was quoted by news agency AFP as saying that the Saudi owners, Vela International, had been set a 10-day deadline to hand over a $25m ransom. |
| BBC Security correspondent Frank Gardner says the owners are effectively denying that figure, while the industry is expecting the demand to be higher. | BBC Security correspondent Frank Gardner says the owners are effectively denying that figure, while the industry is expecting the demand to be higher. |
| A spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry, Hossam Zaki, was quoted by Egypt's official Mena news agency as saying that "all options are open" in trying to solve the crisis. | A spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry, Hossam Zaki, was quoted by Egypt's official Mena news agency as saying that "all options are open" in trying to solve the crisis. |
| 'Fundamental problem' | 'Fundamental problem' |
| The 25 captive crew on the Sirius Star include 19 Filipinos, two British citizens, two Poles, one Croatian, and one Saudi national. | The 25 captive crew on the Sirius Star include 19 Filipinos, two British citizens, two Poles, one Croatian, and one Saudi national. |
| UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he could not comment on negotiations. | UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he could not comment on negotiations. |
| However, he did say: "There is a strong view of the British government, and actually the international community, that payments for hostage-taking are only an encouragement to further hostage-taking and we will be approaching this issue in a very delicate way, in a way that puts the security and safety of the hostages to the fore." | However, he did say: "There is a strong view of the British government, and actually the international community, that payments for hostage-taking are only an encouragement to further hostage-taking and we will be approaching this issue in a very delicate way, in a way that puts the security and safety of the hostages to the fore." |
| With Britain's Royal Navy co-ordinating the European response to the incident, Mr Miliband said: "There is a fundamental problem in the Gulf of Aden. That is why the deployment of the European force is the right thing to do." | With Britain's Royal Navy co-ordinating the European response to the incident, Mr Miliband said: "There is a fundamental problem in the Gulf of Aden. That is why the deployment of the European force is the right thing to do." |
| Pirates 'working with Islamists'IMB piracy map The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites | Pirates 'working with Islamists'IMB piracy map The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites |
| The pirates who seized the tanker on Saturday are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says BBC Somali Service editor Yusuf Garaad. | The pirates who seized the tanker on Saturday are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says BBC Somali Service editor Yusuf Garaad. |
| Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds. | Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds. |
| Russia has announced it is to send more warships to the region to counter the pirates. | Russia has announced it is to send more warships to the region to counter the pirates. |
| Earlier this month, one of its frigates, the Neustrashimy, scared away pirates who were trying to hijack ships in the Gulf of Aden. | |
| "After the Neustrashimy, ships from other fleets of the Russian navy will head to the region," Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky said. | "After the Neustrashimy, ships from other fleets of the Russian navy will head to the region," Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky said. |
| Meanwhile, the chairman of the Commission of the African Union, Jean Ping, has called for the UN to send peacekeepers to Somalia. | |
| He said the rise in piracy was "a clear indication of the further deterioration of the situation with far-reaching consequences for this country, the region and... international community". | |
| On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates since January. | On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates since January. |
| Shipping concerns | Shipping concerns |
| In a rare victory against the organised gangs, the Indian navy said it had sunk a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden, several hundred kilometres north of the location where the hijackers boarded the Sirius Star. | |
| INS Tabar attacked the vessel on Tuesday after it failed to stop for an inspection and opened fire, the Indian navy statement said. | |
| Shipping companies are now said to be weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to and from Europe via the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal. | Shipping companies are now said to be weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to and from Europe via the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal. |
| However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers. | However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers. |
| Maersk, one of the world's biggest shipping firms, announced on Thursday that some of its fleet, mainly tankers, would no longer use the Gulf of Aden. | Maersk, one of the world's biggest shipping firms, announced on Thursday that some of its fleet, mainly tankers, would no longer use the Gulf of Aden. |
| But it added that if there were enough naval escorts, it would resume sending vessels through the gulf. | But it added that if there were enough naval escorts, it would resume sending vessels through the gulf. |