By Malkhadir M. Muhumed and Katharine Houreld, The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A group of pirates showed up in two speedboats just before a $5.5 million ransom was to be dropped by parachute onto the Maran Centaurus.
The crude oil onboard, estimated to be worth some $150 million at the time it was hijacked, is so flammable that smoking is forbidden on deck. Two helicopters chased away the attackers seeking a cut of the ransom after the pirates onboard called frantically for help.
"It's really remarkable: You have the criminals calling on the police to come and help them," said piracy expert Roger Middleton from London-based think tank Chatham House, who said it was the first time he could recall such a situation.
The stand off began Sunday, nearly two months after the supertanker was seized Nov. 29 about 800 miles off the Somali coast. After weeks of wrangling, the pirates had finally settled on a $5.5 million ransom for the tanker, the Somali businessman said.
Cmdr. John Harbour, spokesman for the European Union Naval Force, said the arrival of the rival pirate gang prompted the pirates onboard the tanker to call for assistance from the anti-piracy force. He could not say whether assistance was provided or confirm the amount of the ransom, but said the Greek warship FS Salamis had been nearby monitoring the situation.
The Somali middleman said two helicopters from a nearby warship intervened in Sunday's dispute, hovering over the attacking skiffs. Just the powerful draft beating down from their rotors was enough to frighten off the attackers, he said, and the gunships did not fire.
He said the attacking gang had told him that they were aware of the dangers of an explosion, and that their arrival was more of a show of force designed to win a cut of the cash than a real attempt to storm the ship.
After the helicopters chased away the attackers, two planes dropped a huge bundle of cash. The pirates left the ship yesterday morning