Russia navy to fight Somali pirates

Russia has dispatched a warship to the pirate-ridden waters off Somalia, after a Ukrainian freighter was seized on Thursday.

The Belize-flagged Faina with a crew of 21 people and a cargo that reportedly included battle tanks and armoured vehicle spares, was hijacked while on its way to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers Assistance Programme said the cargo ship had been transporting 2,320 tonnes of military hardware from the Baltic.

Igor Dygalo, Russia's Navy spokesman, said their frigate, the Neustrashimy (Fearless), was dispatched on Friday in response to "the rise in pirate attacks, including against Russian citizens".

"In the future, the Russian navy will send its ships on a regular basis to zones where there is a danger from maritime piracy," Dygalo told Russia's Vesti-24 television station.

Al Jazeera