The pirates, who seized the ship last Thursday, initially demanded a $35 million ransom, then dropped it to $20 million and now it seems they are willing to settle for much less.
“It’s down to $5 million,” said Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator for the Seafarers’ Assistance Program in Kenya, which tracks pirate attacks and communicates with the families of crew members. “But this needs to be done quickly. The longer that ship stays in Somalia, the more people who are going to get involved and the greedier they’re going to get.”
“My advice,” said Mr. Mwangura who has been involved in several hijacking negotiations, “is give these gunmen what they want before the sharks come.”Western diplomats and Somali officials had talked tough about a military strike against the pirates. The pirates had crossed a red-line, diplomats said this week, and there would be no capitulation to their demands. Somali officials, in particular, were adamant that paying the pirates, especially in such a well-publicized case, would only fuel more attacks, which have turned Somalia’s waters into the most dangerous, pirate-infested in the world. Already this year more than 25 ships have been hijacked. The going price is usually $1 million to $2 million to free them.
But the pirates have hardened their position as well — resupplying themselves with fresh food and water, bringing live animals on deck to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Id al-Fitr and chatting with journalists on their satellite phone. It has become clear that they do not plan on leaving the ship without getting paid.
Moreover, the pirates do not seem especially worried about the five or so American warships bristling with missiles and high-technology weapons that are boxing them in against the craggy Somali shore. The only other option, Western officials have said, is a commando raid, no easy task on a huge freighter packed with explosives and with 20 human shields (the crew, who are mostly Ukrainian with a couple Russians). The commando option, for the moment, seems less likely.
“The whole thing now is about the price,” said one Western official involved in the ransom negotiations. “The ship owners are talking with the pirates. But the two sides are still pretty far apart.”A further complication is Russia. A Russian frigate heading toward the coast of Somalia was expected to arrive within days.. It was unclear how or even if the American forces would work with the Russians, and Somali officials did not appear to be helpful.
. On Wednesday, a Somali diplomat in Moscow announced that Somalia was inviting Russia to fight the pirates on sea and on land, possibly setting up a cold war-style duel for influence like the kind that turned Somalia into a dumping ground of weapons — and problems — in the 1970s and 1980s.Russia is known for its aggressive tactics in hostage situations and many diplomats here in Kenya worry the Russians may storm the ship. The American military, on the other hand, seems content to babysit the ship for now. American officials said they are most concerned about the cargo, which includes 33 T-72 Soviet-designed battle tanks, grenade launchers, anti-aircraft guns and piles of ammunition.
American officials have said their priority is to make sure the pirates do not unload the arms and sell them to Islamist insurgents battling Somalia’s weak central government. There is no appetite right now, several American officials said, to risk American lives to free Ukrainian and Russian sailors.
“I think you will see the pirates’ ransom demands continue to decline the closer the Russian frigate gets to Somalia," said a senior State Department official.
Kenyan politicians have called for military action, saying that the weapons aboard were for the Kenyan military and they wanted them back. But several American officials have said that the weapons were part of a secret — and possibly illegal - arms deal brokered by the Kenyan government for southern Sudan.
On Wednesday, a relative of one of the Ukrainian sailors said the ship had originally been scheduled to head to Syria with a load of cars.
“All of a sudden the plans changed,” the relative said, asking not to be identified for fear of reprisals against the crew member. “And the crew found out at the last minute that the ship was carrying tanks. They were scared to be sailing past Somalia with tanks.”
Many relatives of the crew are now pleading with the Ukrainian government to help the shipping company pay the ransom, whatever it may be.
“We are praying for the government to negotiate,” the relative said. “We just want our people back.”