According to a businessman in Bossaso town who asked not to be named, more than 15 gunmen using three armed speedboats have abducted the vessel at Bareda coastal village close to the commercial port town of Bossaso a few days ago.

According to the Koranic Radio, a local FM radio station in Mogadishu, the vessel was heading towards South Africa when the Somali gunmen intercepted its voyage.

The radio also quoting the United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) as saying that the vessel is being in abduction now for two weeks.

According to independent sources, the gunmen now holding the vessel have dramatically increased in number exceeding more than a hundred heavily armed men so far.

The gunmen have been attracted by the hostage-taking drama of the foreign vessel, the usual moneymaking business for the gunmen in Puntland.

According to the sources, the gunmen have intercepted the vessel as it tried to shelter from the high monsoon season near Ras-Asseyr of Alula district.

The businessman whom the reporter spoke with on the line in Bossaso town also said the vessel is registered in Britain, but its ownership is not yet known, nor the name of the vessel since those who saw the vessel are all gunmen who can hardly read anything.

There are reports that the vessel is carrying some crude oil for South Africa, while others say it is not carrying anything.

Sources close to the gunmen also said all crewmen on board the vessel are from Ukraine including the captain of the vessel and are being held in the Bareda village along the coast not far away from Bossaso town.

According to the sources, the gunmen took the crewmen out of the vessel and are now guarding them in the Bareda village for what is called precautionary measure.

Sources close to the gunmen said this is just a part of security measures taken by the gunmen so as to assure that the foreign warships patrolling the Somali coasts would not be able to attack them for a possible rescue mission to their hostages and the vessel.

Somalia's seawaters are being patrolled by warships from Britain, the United States, Germany, France and Italy ever since the Al-Qaeda organization was driven out of Kabul of Afghanistan under what these days is called the war on terrorism.

There has been a faint idea that the defeated Al-Qaeda leaders might try to escape to Somalia where the rule of law is almost zero, an idea that attracted these international warships to rush to Somalia's seawaters to stop such Al-Qaeda escapee.

Also, sources close to the gunmen said the abductors are asking for a huge ransom of US$1 million for the safe release of both the vessel and its crewmen.

So far, nobody knows whether the deal has started nor where the mediations are going on, but the usual place would be Nairobi of Kenya where many such vessel-abduction dramas has been solved.

There's no word as yet from the local authority in Puntland over this latest abduction.

This is the third such abduction of vessels in the northeastern coasts of Somalia in just more than a month.

Last month a cargo ship abducted by Somali gunmen in the same area has ended with the intervention of the regional government and about 20,000 dollars were paid for its release since it was carrying local commercial commodities, but 400,000 dollars were paid to another vessel registered from Cyprus.

Somalia's seawaters are among the most dangerous places on earth where the freelance gangs are used to kidnapping the vessels for making a quick fortune.

( August 12, 2002)