Pirates demand ransom for hostage crew

New Zealand's greatest seaman, Sir Peter Blake, was slain by pirates at the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil last December 5

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Pirates who seized a cargo ship in Somali waters earlier this week are demanding ransom for the release of the vessel's 18 crewmembers, a Kuala Lumpur-based international piracy watch group said Friday.

The Greek-owned MV Princess Sarah was attacked by a group of heavily armed men off the coast of Somalia on Monday, the International Maritime Bureau said.

"They came in five small boats armed with automatic rifles and took hostage the crew members," the spokesman told The Associated Press.

The spokesman said the attackers had relayed messages to the ship's owners demanding US$200,000 in exchange for the release the crew.

The ship's crew are believed to be Ukrainian, Egyptian, Lebanese and Syrian nationals.

"They say they have no more drinkable water on board and only days of fuel left," the spokesman added.

Reports of the attack came after British coast guard officials said they received a distress call from the 6,000-ton Princess Sarah, which is registered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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The officials said the ship's captain reported he was being fired on by pirates who ordered him to stop so they could board.

The British officials then informed the French army in Djibouti, the Somali officials, and the International Maritime Bureau of the incident immediately after receiving the call.

The French army dispatched a boat from Djibouti to the stricken ship, but was not expected to arrive for a few days, the spokesman said.

The Princess Sarah was not believed to be carrying any cargo at the time of the attack.

Bureau statistics reveal the incidence of pirate attacks across the globe soared to a 10-year high last year.

The highest number of attacks occurred in Indonesia, but the bureau said it regularly issued warning to ships to be careful in Somali waters.