Ruthless Pirates Seize Saudi Supertanker

2:44 AM Tue 18 Nov 2008 GMT

'The massive Sirius Star, loaded with two million barrels of oil.' .

Somali pirates have hijacked a Saudi supertanker, Sirius Star, carrying up to 2m barrels of oil worth around $100m.

The vessel, which is about three times the size of a US aircraft carrier, weighs more than 300,000 metric tons. The incident happened 730kms off the coast of Kenya Saturday 15 November.

The crew of 25, including British, Croatian, Polish, Filippino and Saudi nationals, are reported to be safe.

A US Navy spokesman said the tanker is approaching Eyl, Somalia, on the Indian Ocean coast. It is routine procedure for pirates to take hijacked ships to shore, where they will keep them while they discuss negotiations.

A multinational naval force including vessels from the US, the UK and Russia has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters seas near the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, following a sharp increase in pirate attacks in the region.

US Navy Fifth Fleet Cmdr. Jane Campbell said the Navy does not expect to dispatch a vessel to aide the supertanker because it does not have dangerous weapons aboard like the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with arms that was seized by pirates on September 25.

Campbell said she was amazed at the well organized group who attacked and seized the vessel, and that pirates have spread their range over the region.

The face of modern day piracy - well organised, para military personnel, armed, deadly and tactically astute. - ..

'It was attacked more than 450 nautical offshore of Mombasa. This means that the pirates are now operating in an area of over 1.1 million square miles. This is a measure of the determination of the pirates and ... a measure of how lucrative piracy could become.'

Experts agree that there are limits to what the worlds naval authorities can do once a ship has been captured because national governments often preferred to pay pirates ransom.

The incidence of ship seizures has risen alarmingly in the past decade. More than 2,400 acts of piracy were reported around the world between 2000 and 2006, roughly twice the number reported for the preceding six-year period.

Although pirate attacks have at least tripled during that time period, the actual number of attacks is not known. All forms of international monitoring of sea piracy acknowledge that the statistics are scarcely accurate.

The Australian government estimates the actual number of piracy attacks is 2,000% higher. Piracy is estimated to cost between $13 and $16 billion every year and could cost substantially more in coming years.

Shipping companies frequently do not report attacks out of concern that it could increase insurance premiums.

Ships loaded with palm oil, plywood, natural gas, and supertankers carrying all manner of freight are seen as an easy way to make money. The 'pirates', heavily armed and ruthless, board the vessels and capture the Captain and Chief Engineer, along with all the ship's logs, knowing they can demand around US$50,000 for each of the senior crew.

by Jeni Bone