Somali pirates hijack oil tanker; Lankan among crew

July 18, 2011 05:04 pm

The European Union’s anti-piracy force says suspected Somali pirates have hijacked an oil tanker in the northern Indian Ocean. It has a crew of 16, including five crew members from India, four Somalis, three Bangladeshis, and others from Sri Lanka, Sudan, Kenya and Burma.

The task force said in a statement Monday the MV JUBBA XX was seized Saturday and has been spotted traveling towards the northern Somali coast.

The task force said nine pirates have been reported on board.

The ship was traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Somalia.

There was no report on the condition of the crew.

Somali pirates continue to terrorize shipping in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Seas despite international naval patrols.

The pirates have hijacked dozens of ships and made hundreds of millions of dollars from ransom payments in the past few years, VOA reports.

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