The Sirius Star is carrying its full load of 2m barrels - more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output.

Its international crew of 25, including two Britons, is said to be safe.

Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said the attack was "unprecedented".

It's the largest ship that we've seen pirated
Lt Nathan Christensen
US Navy spokesman

According to the Navy, the ship is "nearing an anchorage point" at Eyl, a port often used by pirates based in Somalia's Puntland region.

War-torn Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991.

A BBC correspondent in Mombasa reports that this is the third tanker to have been hijacked in the region.

News of the attack raised crude oil prices on global markets following an earlier slump, Reuters news agency reported.

The US Navy told the BBC the capture of the tanker marked a fundamental shift in tactics.

Attacks on shipping off the Horn of Africa and Kenya by pirates, who are mostly Somali, prompted foreign navies to send warships to the area this year.

'Crew safe'

The supertanker was heading for the US via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, Reuters reports.

THE SIRIUS STAR
Nearly the length of a US aircraft carrier
Weighs more than three times as much as a carrier when loaded
Can carry 2 million barrels of oil - more than 25% of Saudi Arabia's daily output
Is third tanker, and biggest vessel, to be hijacked in the region

The route around the Cape of Good Hope is a main thoroughfare for fully-laden supertankers from the Gulf, the world's biggest oil-exporting region.

With a capacity of 318,000 dead weight tonnes, the ship is 330m (1,080ft) long and is classed as a Very Large Crude Carrier.

It is about as long as a US aircraft carrier and, when loaded, weighs more than three times as much.

"It's the largest ship that we've seen pirated," said Lt Christensen.

The South Korean-built Sirius Star, owned by the Saudi company Aramco, made its maiden voyage in March 2008.

The ship's operator, Vela International, said that all of the crew were reported to be safe.

"Vela response teams have been mobilised and are working to ensure the safe release of crew members and the vessel," it added.

Confirming that two Britons were aboard the tanker, the UK Foreign Office said it could not give any details of their role on the ship.

"We are seeking more information on the incident," a spokesman said.

The other crew are said to be from Croatia, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

Captive vessels

Figures from the International Maritime Bureau show that attacks in the area - the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the African coast - have made up one-third of all piracy incidents worldwide in 2008.

In the first nine months of the year 63 incidents were reported.

As of 30 September, 12 vessels remained captive and under negotiation with more than 250 crew being held hostage.

Pirates remain active and regularly strike in the region. In the past week alone:

• A Russian warship in the Gulf of Aden drove off pirates who tried to capture the Saudi Arabian merchant ship Rabih;

• Pirates hijacked a Japanese cargo ship off Somalia;

• A Chinese fishing boat was seized off the Kenyan coast;

• A Turkish ship transporting chemicals to India was hijacked off Yemen;

• The UK's Royal Navy shot dead two suspected pirates attacking a Danish cargo-ship off the coast of Yemen.

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Comments

Muzzies stealing the property of other Muzzies, whats the problem?

A Welsh farmer walking through his field, notices a man drinking out of a pond.

The Welsh farmer shouted: 'Paid a yfed a dwr, maer gwerthin wedi Cachu un a for.'

Which means: 'Don't drink the water. The cows have pooped in it.'

The man shouts back: 'I'm a Muslim, I don't understand. Please speak in English.'

The Welsh farmer says: 'Use two hands, it holds more'!

I'm also wondering how many retired couples have disappeared with their yachts, only for the families to sometimes find out the yacht has reappeared with a new paint job and with a different set of ownership papers.

As of 30 September, 12 vessels remained captive and under negotiation with more than 250 crew being held hostage.

To negotiate with murderers and thieves is as good as a surrender. So what is the mighty UN been up to lately? I mean aside from voting on another non-binding mandate against Israel sponsored by muslim nations.

I don't get it. Can't we use those waters for target practice?

Because some have been willing to pay ransoms, the pirating has increased, the next step will be the need to arm ships with security teams and cannons.

How in the fuck do you board an oil tanker moving at 12 knots?

Just getting near its wake is like trying to go over a mini tsunami.

I once made the stupid mistake of getting too near an empty oceangoing cargo vessel in lake Michigan that was traveling at maybe 10 kts., its wake and the vortex coming out of it almost turned my 30' boat upside down.

TheMadPoet wrote:

Because some have been willing to pay ransoms, the pirating has increased, the next step will be the need to arm ships with security teams and cannons.

30Kv handrails would cure them

Most large ships make almost no wake at all. I sail around them all the time coming into the Port of Los Angeles. A good small speed boat could come up along side in the dark without them even knowing about it and send a grapple up to climb aboard. A ship like the oil tanker in the picture has very low freeboard and can easily be boarded. Time for escorted convoys I guess or arm the merchant marine and allow them to shoot first. I am sure a few 3000 round per minute mini-guns mounted on various parts of the ship would come in handy.

I saw a documentary about this kind of shit once. When they mentioned arming ships, the narrator said "but the U.N shudders at the idea of allowing cargo ships to run armed". WHY? Is there some kind of law? Another reason to fuck the U.N. Sink the speedboats and leave the bastards to drown. Monkeys can't swim well, you know. Hopefully a shark will get them first.

After Obama gets done decimating the USN these actions will up thirty fold.

Most large ships make almost no wake at all. I sail around them all the time coming into the Port of Los Angeles

I used to own a sailboat. When you are coming into port, you are responsible for your own wake after you pass the buoy that has the initials identifying your home port. It is the only buoy that has an intermittent white light. Usually it stands somewhere around a mile to two miles out at sea. While it is true that very large cruise boats make almost no wake, that is only while they are approaching port. If you cause another boat to capsize with your wake, you are responsible for anything that happens to the persons on that boat, plus the damages to the boat.

However, the supertanker was 400 miles out at sea from Kenya. That is way way far from Somalia. The wake that thing could have made would have capsized a decent boat. The only thing that comes to mind is that probably the pirates fired an RPG right into the bridge and threatened to hit the hull. Sitting on top of two million barrels of oil with RPGs aimed at you is something important to consider when surrendering your crew.

F14ace wrote:

I saw a documentary about this kind of shit once. When they mentioned arming ships, the narrator said "but the U.N shudders at the idea of allowing cargo ships to run armed". WHY? Is there some kind of law? Another reason to fuck the U.N. Sink the speedboats and leave the bastards to drown. Monkeys can't swim well, you know. Hopefully a shark will get them first.

I don't recall one..but you can look for it...

I believe it's the 'keeping it peaceful' measure...that and local laws when coming into port...come into play

www.un.org . . .

I think it was something on the history channel about modern pirates.

How much you wanna bet Obonga will put the USN to the service of the sAudis?

Listen, First the pirates are armed with RPG's. That, when fired on the hull of a supertanker will NOT explode the tanker, they are ALL double hulled. Second they are within a few miles of the coast when leaving port loaded, they are traveling at 3 to 5 miles per hour. it takes one hundred miles to get something like that up to speed, say 15 to 18 Knots. And the same amount to slow it down. I am taking 12 hours to get up to 10 kts. Also the superstructure can be seen for MILES when you are on a hill of up on a sailboat mast looking beyond the horizon. Over the horizon the superstructure can be seen. The Twin Towers I could see from 350 MILE's away when I was on the Flying bridge of the Tamaroa, 60 feet above the water. No binoculars needed. Ask any crew of a ship, they can verify what I am saying.

What is needed is to ARM the ships with scoped rifle's and maybe a few 40MM grenade launchers. The Grenades can not be fired far, but they will sink a small fast boat. I cannot understand WHY the fuck they are NOT armed.... I am ALWAYS armed when I went Fishing in the gulf of Mexico. Mini-14 and a double barrel 12 gauge shotgun with 00buck. At least one ammo can of mini ammo, 30 cal,and a case of shotgun shells... ALWAYS

hawk7 wrote:

How much you wanna bet Obonga will put the USN to the service of the sAudis?

"The supertanker was heading for the US via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa" by the way, dumbfuck

ArthurH wrote:

[q=hawk7]How much you wanna bet Obonga will put the USN to the service of the sAudis?

"The supertanker was heading for the US via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa" by the way, dumbfuck[/q]





Wow! You just dicovered an excerpt from this article

take a number and wait for your payment HAL ''fucking''12000.
















What a jerk off.

This is a reminder for fucking French like cunt. They can sink it and here is a version of your WMD. A little cunt with the brain of an insect can cause irreparable damage to humanity

Fact is insurance companies expressly forbid
that the crews be armed...with ANYTHING...even a slingshot...

They get what they deserve...hope the pirates make
the fucking jerks bankrupt.

Only a very few are now equipped with these directed
sound loudspeakers(make your head explode)

The tanker is flagged out of Liberia. Let the Liberian Navy rescue it and the crew. Oh, there isn't one? Too fucking bad, you cheap bastards.

The US Navy shouldn't be concerned with any ship not flagged in the US. If they don't want to pay our registration fees, then fuck 'em.

When the goatfucking nigger-ragheads steal their ship and hold the crew hostage, the US Navy can just point and laugh at them.

The world wants less US power projection, right? Well, they should get what they ask for.

I am ALWAYS armed when I went Fishing in the gulf of Mexico.

And if you come into Mexican territorial waters?

Was it planned by opec?

[q=Mouse]

I am ALWAYS armed when I went Fishing in the gulf of Mexico.

And if you come into Mexican territorial waters?

I think it's a smart thing to do. Be armed and stay in US or international waters while fishing then return to your home port. Of course avoid the waters of other nations.

On a news report about modern day pirates, they said this was a big problem - not being allowed into many ports with weapons. The authorities jump on board hoping to find a reason to write up a fine. This makes it impossible to be armed to protect yourself in international waters.

o'bomba's test came early ?