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A decade-old dispute over a rocky island and surrounding territory was finally settled in Hague on Feb.3. Romania got 80 percent of the disputed territory in the Black Sea.

Court decides Black Sea border with Romania

The International Court of Justice drew a new maritime border between Romania and Ukraine on Feb. 3 to settle a dispute over parts of the Black Sea believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves, Reuters reported, citing a decision at The Hague.

The unanimous decision by the court's 15 judges, which both parties agreed in advance would be binding, ends a long-running dispute that began more than a decade ago and was submitted to the court in 2004.

Romania had claimed a border extending into the northern part of the Black Sea, excluding an area surrounding Ukraine’s Serpent Island or Snake Island, as the rock formation located 40 kilometers offshore is known. Ukraine had claimed a border closer to the western coast of the Black Sea, saying that Serpent Island gave it territorial rights over the waters.

The ruling gives Romania about four-fifths of the area it claimed, said Bogdan Aurescu, Romania's agent on the case.

As part of its judgment, the court also determined that Serpent Island could be considered an island, rather than just a rocky outcrop.


Relative: Free at last! Faina crew will be home

(Staff and wire reports) – Somali pirates holding the Ukrainian ship MV Faina with 20 men and 33 tanks on board received a $3.2 million ransom on Feb. 4 and were expected to release the vessel within hours, said a Somalian who helped negotiate the deal. “The pirates are still on the ship dividing the money,” the man, who asked not to be named, told Reuters from the Somali port of Haradheere. “The ship will be released in coming hours.”

Victor Shapovalov, father of one of 17 Ukrainian men held hostage aboard the vessel since Sept. 25, confirmed to the Kyiv Post on Feb. 4 that release was imminent. “The pirates received the ransom,” said Victor Shapovalov, father of hostage Denis Shapovalov. “They are now counting the money and getting ready to leave the vessel. It happened.”

The MV Faina was captured on Sept. 25 with its 21-man crew and a cargo of Soviet-era T-72 tanks plus other weapons. The ship’s Russian captain, Vladimir Kolobkov, died of a heart attack two days later. Its seizure drew international attention, not only for its dramatic military cargo, but for a controversy over the destination of the tanks. Kenya said it had bought them for its army, but foreign diplomats said the arms were bound for south Sudan – a potential embarrassment to Nairobi, which brokered a peace pact for the region on its northwestern border.

Somali pirates have captured three boats so far in 2009, after taking a record 42 last year in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes. Anarchy and an Islamist insurgency onshore have fueled the upsurge of piracy.

In an unprecedented international response, more than 20 warships from 14 nations are patrolling to try to stop the gangs.