Rival Somali pirates arguing over what to do with a hijacked Ukrainian ship and its cargo of 33 tanks have engaged in a shootout on board, reportedly killing three of their own.
The pirates, who have renewed their demands for $20m (€14m), deny the three deaths.
The East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, a Kenya-based group which has been monitoring the situation via relatives of the crew and the pirates, claims the three pirates were killed after rival factions guarding the Faina had argued over whether to give in to international pressure to free the cargo and 20-man crew.
'There was a misunderstanding yesterday between the moderates and the radicals on board who do not want to listen to anyone,' said Mr Mwangura.
'The moderates want to back-peddle. The Americans are close, so everyone is tense. There was a shootout and three of the pirates were shot dead.'
US navy ships are within sight of the boat, whose capture has sparked controversy over the destination of its military cargo and thrown an international spotlight on rampant piracy in one of the world's busiest shipping areas.
The US navy says the MV Faina, which was heading for Kenya's Mombasa port, was carrying T-72 tanks, grenade-launchers and ammunition ultimately bound for south Sudan via Kenya.
Both Ukrainian and Kenyan spokespeople have denied Washington's claim, as did a Sudanese army spokesman.
A fragile peace has held in south Sudan since 2005 after more than two decades of war with the north. A major arms shipment could violate the terms of that pact unless it was specifically authorised by a north-south committee.
But Kenya says the armoury was for its military. 'It is the property of the Government of Kenya and we have documentation to that effect,' said military spokesman Bogita Ongeri.
In Kenya, civil groups have demanded the government to explain why it would spend so much on military equipment when it is struggling to help refugees from post-election violence.
Taking advantage of chaos on shore in Somalia, where an insurgency has been raging for nearly two years, pirates have hijacked more than 30 ships this year and attacked many more.
Most attacks have been in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia, a major global sea artery used by about 20,000 vessels a year heading to and from the Suez. The pirates have also struck in the busy Indian Ocean waters off south Somalia.
With US and French military bases in the area, and the UN Security Council having promised to take steps against the pirates, many are unhappy with the lack of international action.
'If civil aircraft were being hijacked on a daily basis, the response of governments would be very different,' top shipping trade bodies and transport unions said in a joint statement yesterday.
'Yet ships, which are the lifeblood of the global economy, are seemingly out of sight and out of mind,' the groups added.
More than 90% of the world's traded goods by volume are carried by sea.
Pirate spokesperson Sugule Ali, speaking over satellite telephone from the ship, said that ‘whoever is the weapons' owner is not our problem, our problem is the $20m’, referring to their demands for ransom.
The Belize-flagged ship has a crew of 21 Ukrainians, Russians and Latvians.
The spokesman for the pirates said their demand for $20m is not a ransom, but a fine for unlawfully transporting weapons on Somali waters.
