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S Arabia may use 'force' against pirates
 Saudi Arabia is likely to use military force to rescue a giant oil tanker recently seized by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. The country might attempt at a 'military-style rescue operation' to salvage the Saudi-owned vessel, Sirius Star and its 25 crewmembers, the Saudi daily Okaz quoted an official enlisted with the country's Border Guards as saying on Thursday. On November 15, the US Navy reported the capture of the tanker and its reportedly Saudi, Filippino, Polish, Croatian and British crew by the bandits southeast of the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. The 330-meter long tanker was sailing under a Liberian flag while possessed by the Saudi oil firm Aramco. It was heading for the United States through the Cape of Good Hope. Alarmed by the incident, the country has begun a security study of its tankers and cargo vessels which happen to cross the trouble-ridden Gulf of Aden. No immediate plans had been devised, the official however, added. The pirates, with their increased firepower, have become the shipping companies' nemesis prompting the international community to subject the trouble-ridden waters to strict naval surveillance. Somalia's territorial waters, posing the utmost threat, have witnessed more than 80 cases of piracy this year alone. Protraction of the standoff would prompt the vessels crossing the area to seek protection from regional watchdogs which could "cause a large rise in transport expenses for importers," said the Transport and Marine Services Committee member Yousuf Al-Turki. Posted by: Fred 2008-11-21 |
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