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A gigantic Saudi-owned oil tanker has been captured by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean and is being steered towards Somalia, according to US Navy reports. The Sirius Star is the largest ship ever to be hijacked, with a capacity of 2m barrels - more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil production.
The tanker was seized on November 15, approximately 450 nautical miles (830km) from the coast of Kenya. Officials from the US Navy reported the ship was "nearing an anchorage point" at Eyl, a port frequented by pirates based in the Puntland region of Somalia, and that the hijacking marks a major shift in their capabilities.
Vela International, who operates the ship, said that all of the international crew of 25, including two Britons, is reported to be safe. The other crew members are thought to be from Croatia, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
With a capacity of 318,000 dead weight tonnes, the Sirius Star is 330m (1,080ft) long and is classified as a Very Large Crude Carrier. It is almost as long as a US aircraft carrier and, when full, weighs more than three times as much.
Maritime incidents off the Horn of Africa and Kenya largely carried out by Somali pirates demanding ransoms, prompted foreign navies to send warships to the area this year. Several vessels along with their crews have been detained for months, including the Ukrainian freighter MV Faina, captured in September.
It is reported that the super tanker was bound for the US, passing the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. The route around the Cape of Good Hope is the main access for fully-laden super tankers coming from the Gulf.
A security correspondent has said that this particular hijacking is highly unusual both in terms of the size of the vessel and the fact it was attacked so far from the African coast. He also stated that such hijackings are normally settled peacefully through negotiations but, given the high profile of this incident and the value of the cargo on board, there is always the possibility of some kind of military intervention.
International Maritime Bureau statistics show that attacks in the region - the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the African coast - account for one-third of all piracy incidents worldwide in 2008.
In the first nine months of the year 63 episodes of piracy were reported. Figures at the end of September revealed that 12 vessels remained captive and involved in negotiations, and over 250 crew members were being held hostage.
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