NAIROBI, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Talks are underway for the release of a Saudi-owned oil supertanker hijacked by Somali pirates last weekend, a regional maritime official confirmed on Friday.

    Andrew Mwangura of the East Africa's Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), however, said he does not know the levels of the negotiations which are aimed at seeking the release of the vessel.

    "Negotiations are underway but I don't know the levels they have reached," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone on Friday.

    Media reports said the pirates are asking for 25 million U.S. dollars in ransom for the Saudi supertanker seized off the East African coast, and have called on its owners to pay up "soon".

    "What we want for this ship is only 25 million dollars because we always charge according to the quality of the ship and the value of the product," a man who identified himself as Abdi Salan, a member of the hijacking gang, reportedly said from Harardhare, in Somalia's semi-autonomous northern Puntland region close to where the ship is anchored.

    The ransom demands came as officials from the Arab League held a meeting in Cairo on Thursday to discuss how to better protect vital shipping lanes and condemned the hijacking, stating that piracy by Somalis was a result of the deteriorating political and humanitarian situation in the country.

    Egypt has been particularly threatened by the increase in attacks, as fees collected for travel through the Suez Canal are an important source of national revenue. One of Europe's largest shipping companies already has said it will reroute some oil tankers around the Gulf of Aden and the canal to reduce the piracy risk.

    The Sirius Star, which belongs to Saudi Arabia's state-owned shipping line, Vela International Marine Limited, was seized along with its crew of 25 last week.

    The 25 captive crew on the Sirius Star include 19 Filipinos, two British citizens, two Poles, one Croatian, and one Saudi national.

    Analysts said the ransom may be the highest sum demanded by pirates from war-torn Somalia, which has not had an effective government since 1991.

    The analysts say the pirates who seized the tanker are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighboring countries.

    Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa.

    The pan African body, the African Union (AU), has urgently called on the United Nations to send peacekeepers to Somalia to stop the strife which it says is fuelling piracy and is aggravated by feuding politicians.

    Reports said the escalated attacks in Somali waters this year have sharply driven up insurance costs for shipping companies, and even made some companies divert cargo around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

    Since January, at least 91 vessels have been attacked in the Gulf of Aden, an area almost twice the size of Alaska flanked by Yemen and Somalia.

    The hijacking of the Saudi ship was the most brazen assault yet, as it was the largest seized and was the farthest from the coast when attacked.

Why world finds it hard to control rampant Somali piracies? 

    BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Despite the fact that the U.S. Fifth Fleet is patrolling the area and NATO is also present, why is it that the world cannot control the rampant piracy near the coast of Somalia?

    The real problem, according to Commodore C Uday Bhaskar, an Indian expert, is that there is no international coordination among the naval powers that are patrolling the area. Full story

Saudi-owned crude oil supertanker "Sirius Star" is seen in this photograph taken in Rotterdam on October 17, 2008. Pirates who hijacked the Sirius Star off the east coast of Africa are taking the vessel towards a Somali port, the U.S. Navy said on Nov.  17, 2008. Picture taken October 17, 2008. The hijacked Saudi-owned supertanker has anchored off the coast of northeastern Somalia.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

Chinese FM: China to exert utmost effort to rescue its fishing ship hijacked by Somali pirates

    BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry was further checking the information about the hijack of a Chinese fishing ship seized by Somali pirates, and would exert utmost effort to rescue the ship and the crew aboard, according to the consular news released Friday evening by Chinese Foreign Ministry on its web site.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry was going to spare no effort to rescue the seized ship and the crew aboard, in coordination with relevant organizations and Chinese overseas representative offices, according to the news. Full story

Somali pirates wreak havoc along key shipping route

    BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Attacks by pirates off the coast of Somalia have fiercely intensified, with five vessels reportedly hijacked in the past week, including Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star, the largest vessel ever seized at sea.

    On Wednesday, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship was confirmed to have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden near the coast of Yemen. Full story

Hijacked supertanker moors off Somalia as eight pirates escape prison 

    MOGADISHU, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The hijacked Saudi-owned supertanker has anchored off the coast of northeastern Somalia while eight pirates escaped from prison in the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland, officials said Tuesday.

    The Sirius Star, capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, along with its international crew of 25, was hijacked over the weekend by Somali pirates 450 miles off the coast of the Kenyan port town of Mombasa and has since been heading towards the Somali port town of Harard here in Puntland. Full story

Somali pirates seize Hong Kong ship

    NAIROBI, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Somalia pirates have hijacked a Hong Kong cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden near the coast of Yemen, a regional maritime official confirmed on Wednesday.

    The vessel Delight, loaded with 26,000 tons of wheat, was bound for Iran's Bandar Abbas Port when it was hijacked. Full story