Dozens of Somali Islamist insurgents stormed a port on Friday hunting the pirates behind the seizure of a Saudi supertanker that was the world's biggest hijack, a local elder said.
Separately, police in the capital Mogadishu said they had ambushed and shot dead 17 Islamist militants, in the latest illustration of the chaos in the Horn of Africa country that has fuelled a dramatic surge in piracy.
The Sirius Star - a Saudi vessel with a $US100 million oil cargo and 25-man crew from the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Poland and Britain - is believed to be anchored offshore near Haradheere, about half-way up Somalia's long coastline.
"Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country and hijacking its ship is a bigger crime than other ships," Sheikh Abdirahim Isse Adow, an Islamist spokesman, told Reuters.
"Haradheere is under our control and we shall do something about that ship."
Both the US Navy and Dubai-based ship operator Vela International said they could not confirm a media report the hijackers were demanding a $US25 million ransom.
That would be the biggest demand to date by pirates who prey on boats in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean off Somalia.
A pirate identifying himself as Jamii Adam told the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that negotiations were taking place with the ship's owners, saying the ransom demanded was not excessive but declining to give a figure.
He said it had cost the pirates $US500,000 to seize the vessel. "We bore many costs to hijack it," he said.
Iran's biggest shipping firm said gunmen holding a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying wheat and 25 crew members had set demands for its release, but it did not reveal what they were.
But pirates released a Greek-owned chemical tanker and its crew they hijacked in September, a Kenyan maritime official told AFP.
"The pirates released the ship today and it is now sailing to freedom," said Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers Association.
The Liberia-flagged MV Genius was seized in the treacherous Gulf of Aden waters on September 25 with 19 Romanian crew members while on its way to the Middle East from Europe.
Mr Mwangura said it was unclear whether ransom was paid, but pirates often free freighters after a huge payout.
An upsurge of attacks this year has forced up shipping insurance costs, made some firms go round South Africa instead of via the Suez Canal, brought millions in ransom payments, and prompted an international naval response.
In Mogadishu, police said they laid in wait and shot dead 17 fighters from the militant al Shabaab insurgent group during an attempted attack on a senior official.
The Islamists have been fighting the government and its Ethiopian allies for about two years. They launch near-daily guerrilla strikes in the capital and control most of the south, including a town just 14 kilometres from Mogadishu.
Separately, police in the capital Mogadishu said they had ambushed and shot dead 17 Islamist militants, in the latest illustration of the chaos in the Horn of Africa country that has fuelled a dramatic surge in piracy.
The Sirius Star - a Saudi vessel with a $US100 million oil cargo and 25-man crew from the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Poland and Britain - is believed to be anchored offshore near Haradheere, about half-way up Somalia's long coastline.
"Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country and hijacking its ship is a bigger crime than other ships," Sheikh Abdirahim Isse Adow, an Islamist spokesman, told Reuters.
"Haradheere is under our control and we shall do something about that ship."
Both the US Navy and Dubai-based ship operator Vela International said they could not confirm a media report the hijackers were demanding a $US25 million ransom.
That would be the biggest demand to date by pirates who prey on boats in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean off Somalia.
A pirate identifying himself as Jamii Adam told the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that negotiations were taking place with the ship's owners, saying the ransom demanded was not excessive but declining to give a figure.
He said it had cost the pirates $US500,000 to seize the vessel. "We bore many costs to hijack it," he said.
Iran's biggest shipping firm said gunmen holding a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying wheat and 25 crew members had set demands for its release, but it did not reveal what they were.
But pirates released a Greek-owned chemical tanker and its crew they hijacked in September, a Kenyan maritime official told AFP.
"The pirates released the ship today and it is now sailing to freedom," said Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers Association.
The Liberia-flagged MV Genius was seized in the treacherous Gulf of Aden waters on September 25 with 19 Romanian crew members while on its way to the Middle East from Europe.
Mr Mwangura said it was unclear whether ransom was paid, but pirates often free freighters after a huge payout.
An upsurge of attacks this year has forced up shipping insurance costs, made some firms go round South Africa instead of via the Suez Canal, brought millions in ransom payments, and prompted an international naval response.
In Mogadishu, police said they laid in wait and shot dead 17 fighters from the militant al Shabaab insurgent group during an attempted attack on a senior official.
The Islamists have been fighting the government and its Ethiopian allies for about two years. They launch near-daily guerrilla strikes in the capital and control most of the south, including a town just 14 kilometres from Mogadishu.
Source: ABC online from Reuters
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