Somali pirates seize supertanker with 25 crew

SOMALI pirates hijacked a supertanker hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa, seizing the Saudi-owned ship loaded with crude and its 25-member crew, the US Navy said.

After the hijacking, the pirates sailed the Sirius Star to a Somali port, a haven for bandits and the ships they have seized, a Navy spokesman said.

The hijacking was among the most brazen in a surge in attacks by pirates. Attacks off the Somali coast have risen more than 75% this year and the world’s largest vessels are vulnerable.