Reports from Somalia say pirates holding a Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons have received a ransom and are preparing to free the vessel.

The pirates seized the Kenya-bound MV Faina and its crew in September 2008.

It is the highest profile vessel in pirate custody, and there has been controversy over its cargo.

The Kenyan government says the tanks, rocket launchers and small arms are theirs, but the manifest suggests the arms were intended for South Sudan.

‘Counting the haul’

Gunmen took control of the MV Faina and its crew of 20 on 24 September 2008 as it headed for the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

It has since been moored off the town of Harardhere, along with a number of other vessels seized by the pirates.

Pirates had initially demanded a ransom of $20m, but reports suggest that a figure of $3.2m (£2.2m) was agreed.

The US navy said that a ransom appeared to have been dropped on Wednesday and Mikhail Voitenko, said to be a spokesman for ship owner Vadim Alperin, said that the pirates were “counting the haul”.

“I hope that nothing will be disrupted and the sailors will soon be able to disembark,” Russian television quoted him as saying on Wednesday.

One of the pirates told the Associated Press news agency early on Thursday morning that one group of 14 pirates had already left the ship, although many more remained aboard.

A number of warships from foreign navies had been diverted to the area to monitor the situation, in part to ensure that the cargo of weaponry did not get into the hands of Somali insurgents.

When the ship is released, the focus will then shift to its cargo of weapons and its final destination, reports the BBC’s Peter Greste from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

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