Romanian seaman and other 27 crew captured by Somali pirates

The VLCC Maran Centaurus was hijacked Sunday about 800 miles off the coast of Somalia,

The vessel is Owned by CENTAURUS ENE / Athens and managed by MARAN TANKERS MANAGEMENT INC Athens / Greece. The vessel had a crew of 28: one Romanian, 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, and two Ukrainians.

The VLCC Maran Centaurus was loaded with about 270,000 Mt crude from Saudi Arbia to US.

There are worries that the vessel may be involved in a disaster while in the hands of pirates, resulting in a major environmental calamity.

Presently the pirates hold hotage about a dozen vessels and more than 200 crew.