Pirates attacks Saudi 'super tanker' and captures it

A large, Saudi-owned crude oil carrier has been captured by pirates in the Arabian Sea, according to the US Navy.

Pirates in the Arabian Sea have hijacked a Saudi-owned oil tanker with 25 crew aboard, according to the Bahrain-based U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet.

The Sirius Star -- a crude "super tanker" flagged in Liberia and owned by the Saudi Arabian-based Saudi Aramco -- was attacked more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, the statement said. The crew include British, Croatian, Polish, Filippino and Saudi nationals.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed two Britons were aboard and said it was seeking more information about the incident.

Naval vessels from the U.S., the UK and Russia have been patrolling the seas near the Gulf of Aden following a sharp increase in pirate attacks in the region. On Sunday pirates seized a 20,000-ton Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia. A Russian patrol ship also thwarted an attack on a Saudi vessel.

"Our presence in the region is helping deter and disrupt criminal attacks off the Somali coast, but the situation with the Sirius Star clearly indicates the pirates' ability to adapt their tactics and methods of attack" said U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the Combined Maritime Forces.

"Piracy is an international crime that threatens global commerce. Shipping companies have to understand that naval forces can not be everywhere. Self protection measures are the best way to protect their vessels, their crews, and their cargo."