WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy says pirates have hijacked a Saudi-owned oil tanker off the coast of Kenya. 

A spokesman for the Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Lieutenant Nathan Christensen, says pirates seized control of the tanker Sirius Star on Saturday.

In a statement Monday, the Navy says the tanker was attacked 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa. It says the vessel has a crew of 25, including citizens of Britain, Croatia, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

The Navy says Sirius Star is flagged in Liberia and is owned by Saudi-based Saudi Aramco. The ship can carry about two million barrels of oil.

Pirates based in Somalia have made the waters off east Africa some of the most dangerous in the world. Monday’s attack occurred well south of where the Somali pirates usually operate.

Source:  VOA News