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David McKenzie | BIO
CNN Correspondent
They have done it again, but perhaps they have bitten off more than they can chew.
Pirates have hijacked 25 vessels this year off the coast of Somalia, but it is 'number 25' that has brought the most international attention.
On Thursday they captured the 'MV Faina' as it was about to dock in Mombassa, Kenya.
Onboard? Soviet-era tanks and weapons.
According to the Ukrainian ministry, the ship is carrying a huge cache of arms including 33 Soviet built T-72 tanks, tank munitions, and an undisclosed amount of small arms.
Security experts tell CNN that if the arms found their way to Somalia they could help fuel the conflict their and even end up in the hands of terror groups.
The US Navy is keeping a close watch on the ship and its deadly cargo.
Lt. Nathan Christensen of the 5th fleet told me that Navy ships, including the USS Howard, were working toward the safe release of the seized ship. The navy ships were not involved in negotiations between the pirates and the shipping company, he said.
"There are now several U.S. ships keeping vigilant watch," he said. "We want the crew to remain safe and for the cargo not to fall into the wrong hands."
A Russian frigate was also reported to be on its way to the area.
The 'MV Faina' is owned and operated by Kaalbye Shipping Ukraine, and its crew includes citizens of Ukraine, Russia and Latvia, the Navy said.
Abdi Salan Khalif, commissioner of the coastal town of Harardhere, told CNN the pirates told a group of town elders that one crew member died of high blood pressure problems
"This is an international problem that requires an international solution," Christensen said, when asked to respond to the reports.
The pirates are now doing everything they can to win the PR war.
Rashid Abdi, an independent Horn of Africa analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the pirates have been making their ransom demands in interviews with media outlets.
"The pirates are very clever and well connected," Abdi said. "They know the importance of using the media to put forward their side of the story."
Alfred N. Mutua, a spokesman for the Kenyan government, warned the media to be cautious about "being used by terrorists who, on realizing they cannot get away with their plunder, are trying to draw attention from their criminal acts."
"Do not empower them by giving them the publicity they seek," he told CNN.
When I traveled with the CTF-150 coalition earlier this year I was impressed with the hardware and capabilities of the warships . The USS Shoup, similar to the ships that are now monitoring the hijacked vessel, could send out a launch for a commando style attack and was brimming with sophisticated weaponry and remote capabilities.
But the Navy can’t rush in to take on the pirates as their are fears that they could use the captives as human shields. One of the crew members has already died from complications of blood pressure.
It is a tragic development in this dramatic story that continues to unfold off the coast of Africa.