Pirates have taken control of a Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast, the US Navy says.
| Someone better call the Saoodi Navy ... |
The tanker was seized 450 nautical miles south-east of the port of Mombasa, a US Navy spokesman said. Twenty five crew are said to be on board, including members from Croatia, the UK, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
A BBC correspondent in Mombasa reports that this is the third tanker to have been hijacked by Somali pirates. It is also the largest vessel so far to come under attack by pirates in the area, the US Navy told the BBC.
The location is unusual and the capture marks a fundamental shift in tactics, the navy added.
The Sirius Star, owned by the Saudi company Aramco, made its maiden voyage in March 2008, according to the company website.
Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said that pirates had captured the tanker on Saturday. The ship was sailing under the Liberian flag at the time, he told the Associated Press by telephone from the 5th Fleet's HQ in Bahrain.
| Oh sorry, my bad, call the Liberian Navy ... |
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. |