Arms onboard the M/V Faina abandonded by receiver

An Associated Press article confirms neither the ship's owner nor the receiver in Kenya want the cargo onboard the M/V Faina. There is no mention if the shipper in Ukraine is interested in getting it back, but I rather doubt it.


"The arms-laden Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, (was) hijacked Sept. 25 with a cargo of 33 battle tanks and heavy weaponry.

The pirates who hold the Faina, said Monday that its operator wants to negotiate only for the release of the vessel and crew of 20 - and not its cargo.

The pirates' spokesman Sugule Ali said they received a fax on Friday from Viktor Murenko, the head of ship operator Tomex Team, saying Kenya had declined to pay any ransom for the cargo it claims.

The Murenko letter said the pirates are at, "liberty to destroy or throw the weapons to the sea if they deemed that fit," Ali told The Associated Press via satellite phone from the Faina.

In Russia, a spokesman for ship owner Vadim Alperin said such a thing was physically impossible as there was no way to unload or destroy the cargo with U.S. forces surrounding the ship.

"The ship owner doesn't care about the cargo, he has already cursed it in all ways possible," said Mikhail Voitenko. But he said that it was impossible to separate the cargo from the ship. "Physically it's impossible."

Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula repeated that the government would not pay any ransom, and told the AP that Tomex Team is responsible for the cargo until it is delivered.

Ali said the pirates passed on a copy of Tomex Team's letter to the U.S. Navy, and that the Faina's captain, Viktor Nikolsky, confirmed the signature on the letter belongs to his boss."

I especially like the phrase "the ship owner..has already cursed it (the arms) in all ways possible". Yes, I think the arms have not only been cursed, but are cursed.

Sounds like the makings for the next Indiana Jones movie. Not to make light of the situation, but ya'll got to admit, if this wasn't so serious, it would be funny.