Islamist fighters have warned pirates holding a Saudi oil tanker they may launch an attack unless the ship and her crew are released.

“If the pirates want peace, they had better release the tanker,” said Sheikh Ahmed, a spokesman for the Shebab militant group in the coastal region of Harardhere, where the Sirus Star is anchored.

The tanker carrying around 100 million dollars worth of crude oil and owned by Saudi Aramco, was hijacked in the space of 16 minutes by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Nov 15. The ransom has been set at $25 million.

The Shebab (youth) armed group, which controls much of southern and central Somalia and rejects an internationally-backed peace process, has positioned fighters in and around Harardhere in recent days.

Islamist leaders have stressed that piracy is a capital offence under Islam and officially condemned the surge in acts of piracy in Somalia’s waters, which has begun to disrupt international trade.

A member of the pirate group holding the Sirius Star retorted that his own men were not afraid of the Shebab’s threats.

“We are the Shebab of the sea and we can’t be scared by the Shebab of the land,” Mohamed Said said. “If anybody attempts to attack, that would be suicide.”

“Every Somali has great respect for the holy kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We have nothing against them but unfortunately what happened was just business for us and I hope the Saudis will understand,” the pirate said.

Some residents in Harardhere have argued however that the Shebab are divided over the issue of piracy and that some of the Islamist fighters have moved into the region only to claim a share of the ransom.

The capture of the Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, and its oil cargo, has sowed panic in the shipping world, with companies now re-routing deliveries via the Cape of Good Hope, around the tip of South Africa, adding substantial time and transit costs.

With close to 100 attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean this year, the pirates are threatening to choke one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes.

Pirates operating from Somalia have reinvested significant amounts from their ransoms into improving their equipment.

They currently hold at least 17 ships, including a Ukrainian cargo carrying 33 combat tanks destined for South Sudan.

Source of telegraph.co.uk