'Crew safe' as pirates open talks

Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi-owned oil tanker with 25 crew on board have opened negotiations, the vessel’s operator said today.

Vela International Marine Ltd, the Dubai-based marine company that operates the Sirius Star, said it was working to secure the release of the supertanker and her crew.

A spokesman for the company said all 25 crew, among them two Britons, are believed to be safe.

The Sirius Star was hijacked on Saturday, 450 nautical miles south east of Mombasa, a spokesman for the US Navy said earlier.

The large oil tanker is owned by Saudi oil company Aramco but was sailing under a Liberian flag.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office confirmed that two of those on board are British but could not give any details.

He said: “We are seeking more information on the incident.”

Lieutenant Nate Christensen, of the US Navy, 5th Fleet, said: “The latest information we have is that they are taking the vessel towards a Somali port.

“We don’t know the condition of the crew on board or the nature of the pirates’ demands. In cases like this what we typically see is a demand for money from the ship owners but we haven’t had that yet.

“We don’t know exactly where they are taking it but we know the town of Eyl is a pirate stronghold.”

Eyl is in the northern Puntland region of Somalia and has become notorious for pirate activity over the past months. Dozens of ships are thought to be being held captive there.

The supertanker is the largest ship to fall victim to pirates, the US Navy said. It is 1,080ft (330m) long and can carry about 2 million barrels of oil.

The hijack, which was the first successful attack so far out at sea, raises fears that international patrols nearer the coast and in the Gulf of Aden will not be enough to protect vital trade routes as pirate gangs become ever more audacious.

The Sirius Star, which was carrying a cargo of crude oil, is the second of six Very Large Carriers manufactured by Vela International and set sail on its maiden voyage in March this year.