Pirates off the coast of Somalia have hijacked the million-barrel Saudi Aramco super tanker Sirius Star and are taking it to shore with Russian, U.K. and U.S. warships in pursuit, CNN has reported.
Without citing wires, the news networks Web site that a mixed British, Croatian, Polish and Philippino crew were safe ahead of expected negotiations.
The coast of northeast Africa between Kenya and Somalia, the Nigeria nearshore and the Malacca Straits between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are some of the world’s most piracy prone waterways.
Croatian and Philippino crews, increasingly sought after for their reliability and leadership, have especially suffered.
In an unrelated event, pirates released the Stolt-Tankers B.V. ship M/T Stolt Valor after detaining it for two months. All crew were unharmed.
The ship was seized crossing the Gulf of Aden on 15 September 2008. The ship's owners, understood to be Japanese, worked with the hijackers toward the releas.
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