DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–Somali pirates hijacked a Saudi supertanker loaded with crude oil hundreds of kilometres off the coast of East Africa – defeating the security web of warships trying to protect vital shipping lanes.
The takeover demonstrates the bandits' heightened ambitions and capabilities: Never before have they seized such a giant ship so far out to sea. Maritime experts said the daylight attack, reported by the U.S. Navy yesterday, was an alarming sign of the difficulty of patrolling a vast stretch of ocean that is key to oil and other cargo traffic.
"It's the largest ship we've seen hijacked and one attacked farthest out on the sea," Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said.
The MV Sirius Star, a brand-new tanker with a 25-member crew, was seized at about 10 a.m. Saturday more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, the navy said.
The area lies far south of the zone where warships have increased their patrols this year in the Gulf of Aden, one of the busiest channels in the world. Christensen said the Sirius Star was carrying crude, but he could not say how much. Fully loaded, the ship's cargo would be worth about $100 million.
The massive supertanker would seem to present a daunting target for the pirates, who usually operate in small speedboats. At 330 metres, it is the length of an aircraft carrier.
But experts said its crew may have felt a false sense of security so far from shore, even though pirates have repeatedly demonstrated their skill in taking down big prizes.
