Security

8.2, hi-jacking

Somalia: talks with pirates who seized tug Svitzer Korsakov , carrying a Russian-British-Irish crew off the coast of Somalia two weeks earlier continued. Copenhagen-based Svitzer A/S, owners of tug Svitzer Korsakov said in a statement that it had ongoing contact with the ship and had been told by the British captain that the crew were unharmed and that food and water supply were sufficient. It said the ship was still situated in the waters off the north-east coast of Somalia. Earlier reports suggested that the pirates holding the tug were demanding thousands of US dollars in ransom. Svitzer declined to comment on the negotiations. There were also unconfirmed reports that a US Navy warship had fired on one of the pirate boats. It was not clear if there were any casualties. The US Navy declined to comment on reports that shots were fired, but a spokeswoman said it was trying to stop the pirates from re-supplying.