The 319,360-deadweight-ton Samho Dream was hijacked and its crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos taken hostage. Reportedly, U.S. refiner Valero Energy Corp said it was the owner of the crude oil cargo and the ship was bound for the U.S. Gulf.
The Associated Press said a South Korean navy destroyer was rushing toward the tanker.
In late 1980 pirates seized the Saudi-owned VLCC Sirius Star, and last November, another super tanker, the Greek-flagged tanker Maran Centaurus, was seized and held for nearly two months until a ransom believed to be $5.5 million to $7 million was paid, according to the Reuters news agency.
Details of the incident remain sketchy, but it appears the tanker was seized far from Africa. The International Marine Bureau Piracy Reporting Center said pirates in skiffs attacked, boarded and hijacked a tanker 1,230 nautical miles northeast of Mogadishu.
