Somali pirates hijack oil tanker going to US

[unhappycamper]

Somali pirates hijack oil tanker going to US
By MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED
Associated Press Writer
Nov 30, 6:24 AM EST

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Somali pirates seized a tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States in the increasingly dangerous waters off East Africa, an official said Monday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat to the region.

The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus was hijacked Sunday about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. Harbour said it originated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and was destined for the United States. The ship has 28 crew members on board, he said.

The shipping intelligence company Lloyd's List said the Maran Centaurus is a "very large crude carrier, with a capacity of over 300,000 tons." Officials could not immediately say how many barrels of oil were on board, but its value would be in the millions of dollars.

Pirates have increased attacks on vessels off East Africa for the millions in ransom that can be had. Though pirates have successfully hijacked dozens of vessels the last several years, Sunday's attack appears to be only the second ever on an oil tanker.

The hijacking of a tanker increases worries that the vessel could crash, be run aground or be involved in a firefight, said Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at London-based think tank Chatham House.


Rest of article at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PIRACY?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[rucky]

1. And we get to pay the ransom at the pump. n/t