It is estimated that the tanker was holding more than a quarter of the daily exports from Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter. The oil would have been worth about $100m (€79m, £66.5m) at Monday’s market price but is probably of little interest to the pirates.

Meanwhile, the official Xinhua agency, citing China’s maritime search and rescue centre, said that a Hong Kong cargo ship called Delight with 25 crew members bound for Bandar Abbas port in Iran had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e10892ba-b4a8-11dd-b780-0000779fd18c.html

Talk about no “honor” among thieves!!!!

I’m not sure who to root for on this one. 

The Saudi Royal Family condemned Somali pirates as terrorists today after losing $100 million worth of oil in an audacious heist that saw bandits seize a supertanker in the Arabian Sea.

The Sirius Star, which was carrying two million barrels of oil, a quarter of the Kingdom’s daily output, was captured with its multi-national crew, including two Britons, 450 miles off the coast of Kenya on Sunday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5180546.ece

I say we side with whoever promises to sell the oil cheaper.

For Somalis, the simple fact that pirates offer jobs is enough to gain their esteem, even as hostages languish on ships for months. The population makes sure the pirates are well-stocked in qat, a popular narcotic leaf, and offer support from the ground even as the international community tries to quash them.

The attackers generally treat their hostages well in anticipation of a big payday, hiring caterers on shore to cook spaghetti, grilled fish and roasted meat that will appeal to a Western palate. They also keep a steady supply of cigarettes and drinks from the shops on shore.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081119/ap_on_re_af/af_pirate_boomtown_1

Interesting background info.