Somali Pirates Seize Greek-Owned Tanker
Maritime officials say Somalia pirates have seized an oil tanker, some 1,100 kilometers off the coast of Somalia.
Maritime officials say Somalia pirates have seized an oil tanker, some 1,100 kilometers off the coast of Somalia.
Authorities say the Greek-owned Maran Centaurus, with 28 crewmembers on board, was hijacked Sunday.
Officials say the tanker, which can transport more than 2-million barrels of oil, was sailing from the Middle East to the United States.
A tanker full of oil would be worth millions and could pose a huge security and environmental threat.
Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the past two years, demanding and receiving millions of dollars in ransom from the hijacked ships' owners.
World powers, including the European Union, the United States and NATO, have dispatched naval forces to try to protect the busy shipping routes near Somalia from pirate attacks.
In response, the pirates have extended their reach, attacking ships up to 1,800 kilometers from Somalia, deep into the Indian Ocean.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
Somali pirates have seized the Greek-owned ''Maran Centaurus'', an oil tanker with 28 crew members on board, yesterday, according to reports. 

Officials say the tanker, which can transport more than two million barrels of oil, was sailing from Saudi Arabia to the United States when it was hijacked. A tanker full of oil could be worth millions of dollars, and possibly pose a significant security and environmental threat. Authorities, however, couldn't immediately ascertain how much oil the vessel was carrying. 

The ship's crew consists of sixteen Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians, and one Romanian, the Al Jazeera news agency reports.

Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the past two years, demanding and receiving millions of dollars in ransom from the hijacked ships' owners.