Pirates hijack oil tanker on Kenyan coast

MOMBASA, Kenya, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A Saudi-owner oil tanker and its crew of 25 have been seized by pirates off the coast of Kenya, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

The naval group, along with the British Foreign Office, confirmed the Sirius Star was taken by unidentified gunmen last weekend more than 450 nautical miles from the Kenyan city of Mombasa, CNN reported.

The crew members on board the pirated vessel included citizens of Britain, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Croatia and the Philippines.

CNN said a similar attack on a Saudi vessel was thwarted by a Russian patrol ship, while a 20,000-ton Japanese cargo ship was seized Sunday.

The Japanese vessel had been traveling near the coast of Somalia when it was attacked by pirates, the news network said.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, Combined Maritime Forces commander, said U.S. Navy forces have joined British and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean to fight a sudden increase in pirate activity.

"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" Gortney said.