MV Faina

MV Faina as observed from the guided-missile cruiser the USS Vella Gulf.
History
Name	1978: Vallmo 1983: Matina 1985: Loverval 2003: Marabou
Owner	Waterlux AG
Operator	Tomex Team
Port of registry	1978: Sweden 1991: Luxembourg 1996: Panama (unknown): Belize
Builder	Lödöse Varv AB
Yard number	179
Completed	May 1978
Identification	IMO number 7419377
General characteristics
Class and type	KM* L3
Tonnage	10,931 GT
Displacement	13,650 long tons (13,870 t)
Length	152.5 m (500 ft 4 in) LBP
Beam	18.01 m (59 ft 1 in) (moulded)
Draught	6.72 m (22.0 ft)
Depth	13.35 m (43.8 ft)
Propulsion	2 × diesel engines
Speed	17.0 knots (31.5 km/h; 19.6 mph)
Crew	21

The MV Faina (Ukrainian: Фаіна) is a ro-ro cargo ship operated by a Ukrainian company that sails under a Belize flag of convenience.

The Faina is owned by Waterlux AG, based in Panama City, and managed by Tomex Team in Odessa, Ukraine, or Kaalbye Shipping Ukraine.

On 25 September 2008, the ship was captured by Somali pirates in the twenty-sixth such attack in 2008. The Faina's crew (at the time of capture) consisted of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and one Latvian, including a 14-year-old boy. On 28 September, Viktor Nikolsky, first mate on the Faina, said that Vladimir Kolobkov, the ship's Russian captain, had died from a hypertension-related stroke.

Hijacking

A photograph taken onboard the USS Howard showing Somali pirates in small boats after hijacking MV Faina.

On 25 September 2008, the Faina was hijacked by approximately 50 Somali pirates calling themselves the Central Regional Coast Guard. The ship was allegedly heading to Mombasa, Kenya, from Ukraine with 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, weapons (including rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns) and ammunition on board, when it was seized. The pirates said they were unaware of the ship's cargo before they captured it. However, the pirates claim that documents found onboard indicate that the arms cargo was destined for Juba, Southern Sudan, instead of Kenya, as originally understood. The claim was confirmed by U.S. Navy and Western intelligence officials, though the Kenyan government denies the allegation.

The pirates demanded a ransom for the ship, and promised that they would fight to the death if attacked. The ransom amount has been reduced from US$35 million, to US$20 million, and to US$8 million in the days that the ship and its crew have been held hostage. The pirates are thought to be attempting to move toward the pirate haven of Eyl in Somalia in an attempt to unload some of the cargo there. Sugule Ali, a spokesman for the pirates onboard the Faina, said, "There is no shortage of food supply and all the crew members are healthy and well, including ours."

The U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Howard and the Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser Vella Gulf engaged the Faina in pursuit within several hundred yards to stop the unloading of the cargo by the pirates. As of 3 October, six U.S. warships have surrounded the Faina with the Russian missile frigate Neustrashimy en route, though as of 27 September, the Neustrashimy was reported to have reached Somali waters.

American helicopters and airplanes of unknown origin have also been flying over the Faina. Warships from the U.S. Navy and other navies have blockaded the MV Faina in a port off Somalia's Indian Ocean coast. However, pirates are attempting to unload small weapons from the cargo near the village of Hinbarwaqo, even while warned not to do so by surrounding navy ships.

Three of the hijackers were reportedly killed during a gunfight between rival pirates. However, this report was denied by the pirates, instead saying that they were celebrating Eid ul-Fitr, and were "… happy on the ship, and we are celebrating."

International reactions

Russia, Somalia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and NATO are cooperating to try to recover the ship. Kenya said that it will refuse to cooperate or negotiate with the pirates.

Puntland Minister of Fisheries Ahmed Said Aw-nur advocated storming the Faina with European or American commandos, saying, "[a] military operation has to be taken." On 1 October, Mohammed Jammer Ali, the acting Somalian Foreign Minister, said, "[t]he international community has permission to fight with the pirates." The Somalian insurgency group Al-Shabaab advised the pirates to "either burn down the ship and its arms or sink it" if the ransom was not paid.

Gallery

• File:080928-MV Faina bridge.jpg
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