[BITList] [From: mj.feltham at madasafish.com] Pirates take over oil tanker with British crew on board

[guardian.co.uk]

mj.feltham at madasafish.com spotted this on the guardian.co.uk site and thought you should see it.

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Note from mj.feltham at madasafish.com:

What next, the QE2 on it's way to Dubai

Mike
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To see this story with its related links on the guardian.co.uk site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/17/oil-tanker-pirates

Pirates take over oil tanker with British crew on board
Lee Glendinning, James Sturcke
Monday November 17 2008
guardian.co.uk


Pirates who have seized control of a large Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean with British crew on board are taking it to a Somali port, the US Navy has confirmed.

The attack on the Sirius Star, three times the size of a US aircraft carrier and capable of carrying 2m barrels of crude oil, is the most audacious in recent times. It took place 800 miles east of Mombasa, Kenya, more than twice as far out to sea as other recent attacks on shipping.

There were reports this afternoon on Arabiya television suggesting the crew had been freed. The US Navy did not confirm the reports but said instead it understood the pirates were holding the tanker "near an anchorage point" of the town of Eyl, which has become a haven for pirates. 

The Saudi vessel was heading for the US via the Cape of Good Hope. There are 25 crew on board, including those from Britain, Croatia, the Philippines,  Poland and Saudi Arabia.

"We are evaluating the situation," Lieutenant Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet, said, when asked whether the navy was taking action to rescue the tanker.

He said he had spoken to those on board by telephone today from the headquarters in Bahrain, and it is understood that the pirates hijacked the vessel on Saturday.

"Sirius Star is three times the size of a US aircraft carrier and shows how they are successfully expanding their operations,'' Christensen said. He added the operation demonstrated a new level of sophistication as the attackers had to scale the 10-metre high sides of the vessel. Previous attacks have occurred within 200 nautical miles of land.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed that two of those on board are British, but could not give any details of their role on the ship. He said: "We are seeking more information on the incident."

Andrew Linington, from Nautilus UK, the seafarers union, said he understood the British nationals on board were thought to be a master, and a chief engineer. 

"This has come as a massive shock. It's the biggest ship that's ever been taken, and it's a long way away from the area, which up until now has been regarded as the dangerous region; where the previous attacks have been," he said. "Tankers of this size are usually safe from attacks. It's a worrying escalation."

Pirates, often based in  Somalia, have made shipping routes off east Africa among the most dangerous in the world.
The route around southern Africa is a main thoroughfare for fully laden supertankers from the Gulf, the world's biggest oil exporting region.

The Sirius Star is owned by a Dubai shipping firm, Vela International Marine Ltd, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter, sending around 7m barrels per day (bpd) to global markets.

The very large crude carrier (VLCC) was sailing under a Liberian flag and is carrying an unspecified amount of oil. Built by Daewoo in South Korea, it made its maiden voyage in March this year.

The ship is the largest vessel to come under attack by pirates in the area, a US Navy spokesman said.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, has more than doubled in 2008, with assailants using GPS navigational aids and satellite phones to find potential targets, according to a report last month by the international affairs think tank, Chatham House. It warned of the danger a tanker could come under attack.
 
"As pirates become bolder and use ever more powerful weaponry a tanker could be set on fire, sunk or forced ashore, any of which could result in an environmental catastrophe that would devastate marine and bird life for years to come," it said. 

"The pirates' aim is to extort ransom payments and to date that has been their main focus. However, the possibility that they could destroy shipping is very real."

Vela International Marine Limited is the sixth largest VLCC-owner in the world, employing 1,100 people worldwide. It owns and operates a fleet of 24 tankers.

Last week, British commandos killed two suspected pirateswho tried to seize a Danish ship in the Gulf of Aden during an operation involving a Royal Navy and a Russian warship.



Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008

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