Somali pirates seized oil tanker: 16 (Pinoys) Filipinos aboard
Nairobi, Kenya — The Greek-owned Maran Centaurus is a 300,000-ton ship carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States was attacked and seized by Somali pirates Monday after an official report.
The oil tanker was hijacked Sunday about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. Harbour said the 300,000-ton ship is carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia and is set to be delivered in the United States through the waters off East Africa. Reports claimed that East African oceans are the most dangerous waters where in several hijacked had been reported several years. Harbour said there were 28 crew members, (16 Filipinos, 9 Greeks, 2 Ukrainians and 1 Romanian) on board in the Greek-owned Maran Centaurus.
Meanwhile, the Philippine government is yet to check the news and information about the hijacked Maran Centaurus.
Somali pirates’ favorite income generating is by hijacking vessels that passes off East Africa. This has been the problem of several countries that have caused them millions of dollars as ransom to rescue the people on board in an hijacked ship.
The Maran Centaurus’ attack Sunday was the second on an oil tanker ever recorded. The first vessel that was hijacked by Somali pirates is the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star. The Sirius Star tanker held 2 million barrels of oil valued at about $100 million. the oil tanker was released last January for a $3 million ransom.