On November 17, 2008, the U.S. Navy announced that the Sirius Star, a Saudi-owned supertanker loaded with crude oil, had been hijacked by Somali pirates. The attack occurred on Saturday, November 15, approximately 450 miles off the coast of Kenya. 25 crew members were aboard the ship, which was sailing under a Liberian flag.The Associated Press: Somali pirates seize supertanker... (November 17, 2008)
On January 9, 2009, the ship and its crew were released after the pirates were paid a reported $3 million in ransom. All crew members were reportedly accounted for and unharmed. Shortly after they left the Sirius Star, the pirates' ship capsized due to rough weather. According to a local journalist, four of the pirates drowned and one survived. The surviving pirate reported that some of the ransom money was also lost at sea.CNN: Somali pirates free tanker after ransom (January 10, 2009)
Brazen Attack
The hijacking of the Sirius Star marks the first pirate attack on a "Very Large Crude Carrier" and is reportedly the furthest ship from land to be hijacked.Bloomberg: Somali Pirates Hijack Saudi Arabian-Owned Oil Tanker (November 17, 2008) Piracy in the Gulf of Aden, through which approximately 20,000 vessels travel each year, has increased more than 75% in 2008. One study suggests that pirates have received up to $30 million in ransoms this year alone.The Associated Press: Somali pirates seize supertanker... (November 17, 2008)
Quotes
- "Everything is possible but it would take extraordinary means and organization, and the risk of an ecological disaster is very high...They are sitting on a bomb."—Dominique Montecer, director of operations at GEOS, a French risk management company, on the possibility of raiding the shipBloomberg: Saudi Oil Tanker Owners in Negotiations... (November 19, 2008)
References
Fast Facts
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The ship is capable of carrying approximately 2 million barrels of oil
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Hijacking occurred on November 15, 2008, in the Gulf of Aden
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Operation to raid ship was considered impossible because of risk of ecological dangerBloomberg: Saudi Oil Tanker Owners in Negotiations... (November 19, 2008)
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On November 23, Islamic fighters vowed to rescue the tanker after stating it should not have been taken because it was owned by an Islamic country.CNN: Islamic fighters vow to rescue hijacked Saudi tanker (November 23, 2008)
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The ship and its crew were released in early January after the pirates were paid $3 million ransomCNN: Somali pirates free tanker after ransom (January 10, 2009)
