Pirates have taken control of a Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Arabian Sea, the US Navy says.
Pirates have taken control of a Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast, the US Navy says.
The tanker was seized 450 nautical miles south-east of the Kenyan port of Mombasa, a US Navy spokesman told Reuters news agency.
The tanker was seized 450 nautical miles south-east of the port of Mombasa, a US Navy spokesman said.
The vessel has 25 crew with members from Croatia, Britain, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
Twenty five crew are said to be on board, including members from Croatia, the UK, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
The ship was the largest vessel so far to come under attack by pirates in the area, the US Navy spokesman said.
A BBC correspondent in Mombasa reports that this is the third tanker to have been hijacked by Somali pirates.
The Sirius Star, which belongs to the Saudi company Aramco, made its maiden voyage in March of this year, according to the company website.
It is also the largest vessel so far to come under attack by pirates in the area, the US Navy told the BBC.
The location is unusual and the capture marks a fundamental shift in tactics, the navy added.
Attacks on shipping off the Horn of Africa and Kenya by pirates, who are mostly Somali, prompted foreign navies to send warships to the area this year.
Captive vessels
The Sirius Star, owned by the Saudi company Aramco, made its maiden voyage in March 2008, according to the company website.
Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said that pirates had captured the tanker on Saturday.
Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said that pirates had captured the tanker on Saturday.
The ship was sailing under the Liberian flag at the time, he told the Associated Press by telephone from the 5th Fleet's HQ in Bahrain.
The ship was sailing under the Liberian flag at the time, he told the Associated Press by telephone from the 5th Fleet's HQ in Bahrain.
Pirate attacks on shipping off the Horn of Africa and Kenya prompted foreign navies to send warships to the area this year.
Confirming that two Britons were aboard the tanker, the UK Foreign Office said it could not give any details of their role on the ship.
Figures from the International Maritime Bureau show that attacks in the area - the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the African coast - have made up one-third of all piracy incidents worldwide in 2008.
In the first nine months of the year 63 incidents were reported.
As of 30 September, 12 vessels remained captive and under negotiation with more than 250 crew being held hostage.
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