South Korean Warship Pursues Hijacked Supertanker

(April 5) -- A high-seas chase was under way in the Indian Ocean's so-called "Pirate Alley" today as a South Korean naval warship pursued a supertanker hijacked on Sunday by Somali pirates.

Contact was lost with the captain and crew of the 300,000-ton, South Korean-operated supertanker Samho Dream on Sunday, shortly after the captain radioed the South Korean navy that at least three pirates had come aboard. The ship was transporting an estimated $200 million worth of crude oil from Iraq to Louisiana for Valero Energy Corp. of San Antonio, the largest oil refinery company in the U.S.

"Right now, we're just monitoring the situation and letting the ship's owners and the South Korean government handle it," Bill Day, a spokesman for Valero, told AOL News.

Day said that Valero had never before had oil cargo seized and that he didn't know what the company's position would be if the pirates try to negotiate for a ransom.

Sunday's hijacking, which occurred more than 900 miles southeast of the Gulf of Aden, is an example of how Somali pirates -- equipped with AK-47s, sophisticated GPS systems and provisions to last them a month at sea -- are leaving coastal waters in search of bigger prey.

The Samho Dream has a crew made up of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos. It was sailing with no security detail because it was believed to be in a pirate-free zone, Cho Yong-woo of Samho Shipping told The Associated Press.

The South Korean government dispatched a 4,400-ton naval warship, which was on anti-piracy patrol in the Indian Ocean about 900 miles away from the commandeered tanker. Despite the distance, a South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that the warship is much faster than the supertanker and may arrive in waters near the hijacked vessel as early as Monday evening. Aboard the warship are members of South Korea's Cheonghae counterpiracy force.

But the foreign ministry spokesman said the ship's "main task" was not to intercept the tanker.

"The government, including its highest decision makers, is dealing with the situation, putting top priority on the lives and safety of the crew members," the official said, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. "The government will not directly take part in any negotiations, as it believes such a move can further jeopardize the lives of hostages. Samho Shipping will be in charge of any negotiations, with the government only playing a supporting role."

It remains unclear what the naval unit will do if it manages to reach the ship before the kidnappers direct it to a Somali port. Firing on it could ignite the oil cargo or cause an oil spill. According to the AP, the vessel's oil cargo is so volatile that crew members don't carry guns and can't even light cigarettes on deck. Reuters, citing a "pirate source named Mohamed," said the ship was being taken to Haradheere, a port well known for holding hijacked ships during ransom negotiations.

An international fleet of warships from 15 countries now patrol the dangerous but vital sea lanes around Somalia that connect the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. But an investigative report by The Christian Science Monitor concluded that piracy is too well-funded through a "network of investors and corrupt officials" for the international patrols to make much of a dent in the lucrative practice.

Pirates made an estimated $200 million in negotiated ransoms for hijacked ships in the Gulf of Aden from 2008 to March 2009, The Boston Globe reported. Recently, a typical ransom negotiated for a hijacked ship has been about $3 million. On at least one occasion, the money is parachuted down in a container to the ship.