Somali pirates seized an oil tanker soon after it had offloaded its cargo of fuel at a southern Somalia port, an official and witness said on Friday.
The pirates so far have made no demands since hijacking the United Arab Emirates-registered MT Lombigo on Tuesday near Adale, about 150km north of the capital, Mogadishu, said Ali Beere Adow, an official of El Ade port.
The MT Lombigo, which carries a Panamanian flag and had a crew of 32 Filipinos, had offloaded its cargo at El Ade port, Adow said.
”About 20 armed pirates on two speedboats attacked the tanker and then scaled it. After 10 minutes I could see the tanker commandeered to the high seas,” said Jimale Kaahin, a fisherman who said he witnessed the hijacking.
He spoke to The Associated Press on a two-way radio, a common means of communication in Somalia.
Somalia has had no coast guard or navy since 1991, when warlords ousted the dictator and then turned on each other.
Piracy on Somali waters steeply increased last year, with the number of incidents rising to 35, compared with only two in 2004, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
The increase in piracy included first-time attacks on vessels carrying food aid for Somalis, hindering United Nations efforts to provide relief to drought victims. Pirates also have attacked a cruise ship.
On March 15, the UN Security Council encouraged naval forces operating off Somalia to take action against suspected piracy.
In the past two months, US naval ships have confronted two groups of pirates, killing one person and injuring five others. One group of pirates the US navy confronted is now facing trial in neighbouring Kenya. — Sapa-AP