Somali gunmen seize British-registered vessel

Somali gunmen seize British-registered vessel

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Somali gunmen have seized a British-registered vessel off northeastern Somalia, a businessman in the region said Sunday.

The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said at least 15 gunmen in three speedboats seized the vessel off the village of Bareda near Bossaso on the Gulf of Aden several days ago when it was foundering in a storm.

According to Koranic Radio, a local FM station in Mogadishu, the vessel was heading for South Africa when the Somali gunmen boarded it.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said Sunday a British frigate had investigated the claim but found no evidence that it was true.

"We put up a helicopter from HMS Cumberland earlier today but we could not find anything to confirm the report," a spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

No Western nations have had diplomatic missions in Somalia since the ouster of former President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and the country's descent into civil war.

Other sources in Puntland, the autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, said as many as 100 gunmen may have boarded the vessel whose crew and captain were reported to be from the Ukraine.

There was no immediate comment from authorities in Puntland.

The waters off Somalia's coast are notorious for piracy, and international maritime authorities warn ships from venturing near them.

Sources close to the gunmen said they were demanding $1 million for the release of the ship and its crew. The name of the ship was not immediately available.

The seizure is the third off Puntland in less than a month. The Puntland government mediated the release last month of a Cyprus-registered after the owners reportedly paid $400,000.