Supertanker loaded with oil hijacked
Winnipeg Free Press
November 17, 2008
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Somali pirates hijacked a supertanker off the Kenyan coast, seizing the Saudi-owned ship loaded with crude and its 25-member crew, the U.S. navy said Monday.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. navy’s 5th Fleet, said the pirates hijacked the Sirius Star — a newly commissioned ship owned by Saudi oil company Aramco — 830 kilometres southeast of Mombasa, Kenya.
He said the pirates were taking the ship to a Somali port of Eyl where hijacked vessels are often held.
Somali pirates have seized several ships off the Horn of Africa coast in the past week, but the latest hijacking — of a tanker the size of an aircraft carrier — marked a dramatic escalation.
The pirates are trained fighters, often dressed in military fatigues, using speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rockets launchers and various types of grenades.
The 330-metre tanker seized Saturday can carry about two million barrels of oil.
Christensen said the Sirius Star was carrying crude at the time of hijacking, but he did know how much. He also had no details about where the ship was sailing from and where it was headed.
Print this page.
Loading ...