AP: Somali pirates hijack Saudi oil tanker going to US

NAIROBI, Kenya — The EU's anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have seized a super tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States.

Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force, says the Greek-owned Maran Centaurus was hijacked Sunday about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia.

Pirates have increased attacks on vessels off East Africa for the millions of dollars of ransom that can be had. A tanker full of oil would be worth millions and could pose a huge security and environmental threat to the region.

Harbour says there were 28 crew members on board the 300,000-ton ship.

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AP: Somali pirates demand $3M for ship with 18 crew

Pirates have hijacked a Panamanian-flagged ship with 18 crew off the east coast of Africa, the latest in an increasing number of attacks, a Somali businessman said Tuesday.

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AP" Somali pirates hit oil tanker in long-range attack

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AP/FOX News: Spanish Hostages' Wives: Pirates Take 3 Crew Ashore

Pirates holding a Spanish trawler off Somalia have taken three crew members ashore to press Spanish authorities for the release of fellow pirates captured in connection with the month-old hostage drama, wives of two sailors said Thursday.

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AP: Japan eyes naval refueling for anti-piracy mission

Japan is considering sending warships to help refuel vessels combating piracy off Somalia after its current refueling mission in support of the U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan ends early next year, officials said Tuesday.

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AP: Somali pirates seize Chinese ship with 25 crew

Somali pirates seized a Chinese cargo ship Monday with 25 people onboard, a naval spokesman for the European Union’s anti-piracy force said, in the first successful attack on a Chinese vessel since the country deployed three naval warships to the region.

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U.S. Navy Detains 17 on Suspected Pirate 'Mothership'

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. Navy says 17 suspected pirates have been apprehended after an attack on an Egyptian ship in the Gulf of Aden.

The Navy said in a statement Thursday that Korean Destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great and the U.S. guided missile cruiser Gettysburg dispatched helicopters to aid Motor Vessel Amira after it came under attack.
A Gettysburg-based specialized boarding team also boarded the suspected pirate "mothership," a larger vessel which pirates use for logistical support.

The Navy said it brought the alleged pirates on board the Gettysburg for further questioning. Also confiscated were eight assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a rocket-propelled grenade.

The incident occurred Wednesday, about 75 miles south of Yemen's al-Mukalla port.

SKorea plans to send warship to combat Somali pirates

South Korea plans to send a warship to combat piracy in the lawless waters off Somalia

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SEOUL (AFP) — South Korea announced Monday it plans to send a warship to combat piracy in the lawless waters off Somalia, where five more Koreans were seized over the weekend.

The defence ministry will ask parliament to approve the deployment before its current session ends on December 8, said ministry spokesman Won Tae-Jae.

Once the mission is approved Seoul will send a 4,500-ton destroyer carrying missiles and other modern weaponry early next year, a senior official told Yonhap news agency last week.

The ship will join international efforts to combat piracy involving US and French warships, the official said.

Last week, the European Union launched an operation off the coast of Somalia to combat growing piracy and protect ships carrying aid deliveries. It is the EU's first-ever naval mission.

The foreign ministry said all the South Koreans aboard a hijacked Japanese cargo ship are safe. The 20,000-ton Chemstar Venus, with five South Koreans and 18 Filipino crewmen, was seized in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday.

"All our five crewmen... turned out to be safe," said foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young, confirming contact had been made with the kidnappers.

The spokesman refused to give other details such as whether a ransom had been demanded. The ministry says the Panamanian-registered ship is owned by a Japanese firm and its captain is Korean.

South Korean ships have frequently been targeted in the region.

Somali pirates seized a South Korean cargo ship and 22 sailors on September 10. The crew was released last month after the ship's owner paid a ransom.

Last year Somali pirates seized two South Korean vessels and 24 crew including four South Koreans.

The crew were released in November after six months in captivity. Local media reports said the pirates had demanded a ransom of five million dollars before reducing the sum to an undisclosed figure.

In April 2006 a South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew on board was hijacked. The ship and its crew were released after four months following the payment of a ransom.

The International Maritime Bureau reports at least 83 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, of which 33 were hijacked. Of those, 12 vessels and more than 200 crew were still in the hands of pirates.

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Pirates seize Danish ship, 13 crew near Somalia

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Pirates have hijacked a Danish cargo ship with 13 crew members near Somalia, a maritime official said Saturday.

The vessel was traveling from the Middle East to Asia in the Gulf of Aden when it was seized Friday, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. The ship flies a Bahamas flag but operates out of Denmark, Choong said.

"Pirates are still attacking despite increased patrols. We have urged ships to take extra precaution when transiting in this busy waterway," Choong said. No further details were immediately available.

NATO has sent three ships to the Gulf of Aden — one of the world's busiest shipping lanes — to help the U.S. Navy in anti-piracy patrols and to escort cargo vessels. The European Union has said at least four warships backed by aircraft will begin policing the dangerous waters in December. The EU flotilla will eventually take over patrolling the area from NATO ships.

Nevertheless, attacks have continued off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has had no functioning government since 1991.

There have been 81 attacks this year in the African waters, with 32 ships hijacked. Eleven vessels remain in the hands of pirates along with more than 200 crew, Choong said.