30/11/2009 - 11:12:59 Somali pirates have seized an oil supertanker in an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat.
The Greek-owned Maran Centaurus was hijacked yesterday with 28 crew about 800 miles off the country’s coast said a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.
The Greek-owned Maran Centaurus was hijacked yesterday with 28 crew about 800 miles off the country’s coast said a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.
Pirates have increased attacks on vessels off East Africa for the millions of dollars of ransom that can be had.
Although they have successfully hijacked dozens of vessels the last several years, this attack appears to be only the second ever on an oil tanker.
In November 2008, pirates hijacked the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, which held two million barrels of oil valued at about $100m (€66m). The tanker was released last January for a reported $3m (€2m) ransom after a two-month drama that helped galvanise international efforts to fight piracy off Africa’s coast.
Somalia’s lawless 1,880-mile coastline provides a perfect haven for pirates to prey on ships heading for the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
It has not had a functioning government for a generation and the weak UN-backed administration is too busy fighting an Islamist insurgency to arrest pirates.
Pirates now hold about a dozen vessels hostage and more than 200 crew members. The Maran Centaurus had 28 crew aboard – 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and one Romanian.
Although they have successfully hijacked dozens of vessels the last several years, this attack appears to be only the second ever on an oil tanker.
In November 2008, pirates hijacked the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, which held two million barrels of oil valued at about $100m (€66m). The tanker was released last January for a reported $3m (€2m) ransom after a two-month drama that helped galvanise international efforts to fight piracy off Africa’s coast.
Somalia’s lawless 1,880-mile coastline provides a perfect haven for pirates to prey on ships heading for the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
It has not had a functioning government for a generation and the weak UN-backed administration is too busy fighting an Islamist insurgency to arrest pirates.
Pirates now hold about a dozen vessels hostage and more than 200 crew members. The Maran Centaurus had 28 crew aboard – 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and one Romanian.
Piracy has increased despite an increased presence by international navies patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
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