Pirates have commandeered a huge Saudi-owned crude oil supertanker off the east coast of Africa, the largest vessel ever seized by force. Meanwhile, a Hong Kong cargo ship was hijacked by pirates near the Yemen coast.
Pirates have commandeered a Saudi-owned crude oil supertanker off the east coast of Africa, US Navy sources said. The vessel, the largest to be seized in a recent spate of piracy in the region, is reportedly heading toward Somalia.
Pirates have hijacked a Turkish tanker carrying a 14-man crew off the coast of Yemen, according to Anatolia news agency reports quoting Turkey's maritime authorities.
The BBC has reported that the cargo of tanks captured by pirates off the Somali coast were destined for South Sudan. Kenya insists it ordered the weapons.
The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution calling for countries to deploy naval vessels to help fight the scourge of rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Pirates who seized a Ukrainian freighter Thursday are being tracked by several foreign warships, a Somali official reported. The ship was seized with 12 people on board and was carrying 33 tanks and other military supplies to Kenya.
Six Somalis accused of kidnapping a French couple and holding them hostage have been charged in a Paris court. The suspected pirates were captured off the Somali coast and flown to France.
