A Ukrainian ship, reportedly carrying at least 30 tanks, has been captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
Regional maritime organisations and Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine both stated that the ship, operating under a Belize flag, had a military cargo 'including at least 30 T-72 tanks'.
If confirmed the seizure could be a significant and potentially dangerous one for Somalia.
Islamists have been battling the government and its Ethiopian military allies for nearly two years in the Horn Of Africa state which, despite a UN arms embargo, is awash with weaponry.
The reports of tanks being taken by the pirates also raised questions about their original planned destination.
'Some say it was carrying about 38 tanks, others say 30,' said Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
'In the past, military equipment has come through Mombasa on its way to south Sudan, but we have not seen any south Sudanese officials at the port waiting. And anyway, there is an arms embargo for Sudan.'
A statement from Ukraine's foreign ministry identified the vessel as the Faina, but made no reference to its cargo.
The statement quoted the ship's operators as saying 17 of 21 crew members, including the captain, were Ukrainian nationals, with the remainder from Russia and Latvia.
Russia later said it had dispatched a warship to Somalia's coast to combat pirates and said it would mount regular anti-piracy patrols in the area.
The frigate Fearless was ordered to the waters off Somalia in response to ‘the rise in pirate attacks, including against Russian citizens,’ said Russian navy spokesman, Igor Dygalo.
Heavily armed pirates have seized more than 30 vessels off Somalia so far this year, making its waters the most dangerous in the world. The gangs seek, and often get, large ransoms.
Many of the seizures have been in the Gulf of Aden, a major sea artery used by some 20,000 vessels a year heading to and from the Suez Canal.
Pirates are holding about a dozen vessels and more than 200 crew members at the moment.
Their business has flourished as an Islamist-led insurgency on shore has deepened.
