US President George W. Bush has kept up to date on the fate of a Saudi super-tanker hijacked by pirates off the east African coast and views the crew`s safety as critical, the White House said Wednesday.

`The president has been briefed about it, and ensuring the safety and well being of the crew is of paramount importance in preventing or dealing with issues of piracy,` said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

`And the goal would be to try to help get this ship to safety, secure the crew, and then work with our international partners to try to alleviate the piracy problem full stop,` she told reporters.

Perino gave no hint of any specific US actions in response to the seizure, but said Washington was `working with other members of the Security Council right now` to work out how `to more effectively fight against piracy.`

`It`s a very complicated issue. There`s a lot of international laws that factor into these efforts,` she said.