HEADLINES:
R/€ 
Oil Seized oil tanker taken close to pirate haven
December 03, 2009 Edition 1
NAIROBI: A massive Greek oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean reached the Somali coastline, the European Union's anti-piracy mission off Somalia said yesterday.
The Greek-flagged MV Maran Centaurus, capable of carrying 300 000 tons, is the second-largest ship to have been seized in waters off lawless Somalia.
The EU mission said the ship, which was seized 600 nautical miles north-east of the Seychelles on Sunday, was now at anchor close to the pirate haven of Hobyo.
It was not clear how many barrels of crude oil the ship was carrying when it and its crew of 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, one Romanian and two Ukrainians were seized. But it was headed from Saudi Arabia to the US and was believed to be carrying close to its capacity.
The largest ship to be seized - Saudi tanker Sirius Star, which was carrying two million barrels of oil - was released late last year after a ransom of $3m was paid to the pirates.
The seizure of the Sirius Star prompted the deployment of more than 12 warships to the Gulf of Aden - one of the world's busiest waterways.
However, the pirates have simply moved their operations further out to sea to avoid patrols, and the number of attacks in 2009 so far is almost double the 2008 figure, according to the International Maritime Bureau. About 11 ships, and over 200 crew members, are still in pirate hands. - Sapa-dpa
© 1999 - 2010 Mercury & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved.