Ransom for release of Ukrainian ship agreed, crew soon to be freed, says ship-owner's representative

17:20

The ransom for the release of the Faina, a Ukrainian ship seized by Somali pirates, has been agreed, the ship-owner's representative, Viktor Murenko, said at a press conference on Thursday.

He said that a UN Security Council resolution foresees restrictions on the sum of ransoms.

Murenko said that these restrictions had been removed thanks to Ukraine's representatives in the UN Security Council.

"Only yesterday at 0900, the sum of the ransom was raised to the level they [the pirates] demanded," he said.

He refused to specify the amount and added that it had been agreed and that the crewmembers would be soon released.

As reported, the Ukrainian ship Faina was hijacked by Somali pirates in neutral waters outside Kenya on September 25, 2008. The vessel was sailing under the flag of Belize to Kenya, with around 30 T-72 tanks and spare parts for them on board. There were 21 crewmembers aboard the ship - 17 Ukrainians, three Russians, and one Latvian citizen. One Russian citizen has since died.

The ship-owner is Israeli citizen Vadym Alperin.

22.01.2009