Russia says it will send more warships to combat piracy in the waters off Somalia.
The
RIA Novosti news agency quotes the head of the Russian Navy Admiral
Vladimir Vysotsky as saying the ships are needed to fight intensifying
pirate activity.
A Russian destroyer, the Neustrashimy, is
already patrolling the Gulf of Aden, along with ships from the United
States, India, and other countries.
Meanwhile, countries
bordering the Red Sea are holding an emergency meeting in Cairo to
discuss strategies for fighting the pirates. Egypt is concerned the
attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean will stop shipping
companies from using the Suez Canal, one of the country's main profit
centers.
The meeting follows Saturday's hijacking of a
Saudi-owned oil supertanker. The Saudi foreign minister has said the
ship's owners are negotiating with the pirates for the tanker's release.
The
Sirius Star, which is owned by ARAMCO, the Saudi government's national
oil company, is carrying about two million barrels of oil worth about
$100 million.
The supertanker was hijacked Saturday in the Gulf
of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Since then,
pirates have seized at least two other vessels off the Somali coast.
Encouraged
by millions of dollars in ransom payments, Somali pirates have been
hijacking ships at an unprecedented rate. The International Maritime
Bureau says more than 90 ships have been attacked this year, and at
least 36 hijacked.
The pirates are believed to be holding 17 ships at the moment with some 300 crew members.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
