Pirates took away almost all small arms from Faina

24.02.2009
The pirates who last September captured the Ukrainian ship Faina took away most of the small arms on the cargo ship, the Ukrainian newspaper Segodnya reported on Monday.

The pirates loaded the weapons in slashed plastic canisters, which they sealed off before loading them in their fast boats as empty containers. They took away grenade launchers and machineguns, but the heavier weapons could not be easily carried away: US destroyer Mason had approached the Faina to closely watch the pirates' actions.

The ship was loaded with so much weaponry that even after the pirates left, crates full of guns could still the found in the hold of the Faina, Segodnya reported. Artillery rounds, grenade launchers, and machineguns were all over the bridge of the cargo ship.

The pirates were not surprised to find weapons on the Faina, Segodnya reported, citing sailor Ivan Gerelyuk. "There was the impression that they knew in advance what cargo our ship was transporting," said Gerelyuk.

After the release of the Faina, information alleging that the ship was captured on advice from Ukraine appeared, a source in Ukraine's foreign intelligence services told the newspaper. According to Ukrainian secret agents, the pirates knew about all their actions from a mole in the higher echelons of Ukraine's power structure.

But Viktor Nikolsky, the acting captain of the Faina, said he believed the ship was not captured with prompting from Kiev, arguing that if that had been the case, the pirates, knowing the type of cargo on the ship, will never have attacked with RPGs.

Translation: RusNavy.com