The Saudi owners of the Sirius Star are in negotiations with Somali pirates who have demanded a ransom for the super-tanker laden with 100 million dollars of oil they hijacked at the weekend.

As international anger continued to mount Wednesday over a situation described by the International Maritime Bureau as `out of control`, an Indian naval vessel sank a Somali pirate ship.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned on Wednesday a surge of piracy off Somalia`s coast and backed international efforts to combat it.

Ban `expresses his concern` at the pirates` attacks in recent days and `reiterates his condemnation of all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea wherever they occur,` said the UN chief`s spokesperson in a statement.

The Pentagon said Wednesday a military approach was not the answer to a surge of piracy off the Horn of Africa and suggested that shipping companies do more on their own to protect their vessels.

`You could have all the navies in the world having all their ships out there, you know, it`s not going to ever solve this problem,` said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.

An Indian warship destroyed a pirate `mother vessel` in the Gulf of Aden, the navy said Wednesday, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.

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 European Union`s anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia -- its first-ever naval mission -- will begin on December 8, France`s defence minister said Wednesday.

Five or six warships will begin patrolling the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden from that date, said Herve Morin, whose country holds the EU`s rotating presidency.

The Saudi owners of the super-tanker Sirius Star were in negotiations Wednesday with the pirates who seized the vessel off the east African coast at the weekend, the Saudi foreign minister said in Rome.

An Indian warship destroyed a pirate `mother vessel` in the Gulf of Aden, the navy said Wednesday, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.

The European Union`s anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia -- its first-ever naval mission -- will begin on December 8, France`s defence minister said Wednesday.

Five or six ships will begin patrolling the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden from that date, Herve Morin, whose country holds the EU`s rotating presidency, told reporters.

The company operating the Saudi super-tanker Sirius Star seized by pirates off the east African coast over the weekend remained tight-lipped on Wednesday on reported negotiations for a ransom.

`We cannot confirm, nor deny` reports of negotiations with the hijackers, said Mihir Sapur, the spokesman of Vela International, a subsidiary of Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The capture of the Saudi oil supertanker Sirius Star last weekend marks a new stage in piracy off Somalia`s coast, where acts of banditry have reached record levels since the start of the year.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), 94 ships have been attacked in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden this year.

A Kenyan court on Wednesday charged eight Somalis seized during a British naval operation off the coast of the lawless Horn of Africa country last week for hijacking a shipping vessel.

The suspects, wearing blue uniforms, pleaded not guilty to the charge of piracy before Mombasa chief magistrate Catherine Mwangi.

Visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband denounced on Wednesday the `scourge` of piracy in the Gulf of Aden where ships have increasingly been falling victim to bandits.

Visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband denounced on Wednesday the `scourge` of piracy in the Gulf of Aden where ships have increasingly been falling victim to bandits.

A hardline Islamist alliance controlling Somalia`s main southern port of Kismayo on Wednesday promised tough measures to protect ships and traders from marauding pirates.

`We will set up marine forces and will protect all ships and vessels from the pirates off the coastal areas we control,` Sheikh Hasan Yaqub, spokesman for the Islamist administration in Kismayo told AFP.

A hardline Islamist alliance controlling Somalia`s main southern port of Kismayo on Wednesday promised tough measures to protect ships and traders from marauding pirates.

`We will set up marine forces and will protect all ships and vessels from the pirates off the coastal areas we control,` Sheikh Hasan Yaqub, spokesman for the Islamist administration in Kismayo told AFP.

The hijacked Sirius Star is anchored off Harardhere, a tiny Somali village which could fit in its entirety on the bridge of the Saudi super-tanker but has emerged as the piracy capital of the world.

The hijacked Sirius Star is anchored off Harardhere, a tiny Somali village which could fit in its entirety on the bridge of the Saudi super-tanker but has emerged as the piracy capital of the world.

Somali pirates on Wednesday released a Hong Kong-flagged ship and its 25 crew seized two months ago, a Kenyan maritime official said.

The MV Great Creation, with 24 Chinese and one Sri Lankan crew, was seized on September 18.

Somali pirates on Wednesday released a Hong Kong-flagged ship and its 25 crew seized two months ago, a Kenyan maritime official said.

The MV Great Creation, with 24 Chinese and one Sri Lankan crew, was seized on September 18.

Iran has not made any contact with the hijackers of a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship it chartered and which has now been hijacked off the coast of Yemen, the state IRNA new agency said Tuesday.

`So far no contact has been made with the ship and the hijackers,` Majid Ensan Najib, a senior official at the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, told IRNA.

Iran has not made any contact with the hijackers of a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship it chartered and which has now been hijacked off the coast of Yemen, the state IRNA new agency said Tuesday.

`So far no contact has been made with the ship and the hijackers,` Majid Ensan Najib, a senior official at the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, told IRNA.

An Indian warship destroyed a pirate `mother vessel` in the Gulf of Aden, the navy said Wednesday, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.

An Indian warship destroyed a pirate `mother vessel` in the Gulf of Aden, the navy said Wednesday, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.

A total of 127 Filipino seamen are being held hostage aboard seven vessels hijacked by pirates off the Somalia coast this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

The figure includes 19 Filipinos who were among the 25-member crew of the Saudi super-tanker Sirius Star seized by pirates Saturday, department officials said.

A total of 127 Filipino seamen are being held hostage aboard seven vessels hijacked by pirates off the Somalia coast this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

The figure includes 19 Filipinos who were among the 25-member crew of the Saudi super-tanker Sirius Star seized by pirates Saturday, department officials said.

An Indian warship opened fire at a Somali pirate `mother ship`, the navy said Wednesday, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.

An Indian warship opened fire at a Somali pirate `mother ship`, the navy said Wednesday, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.

An Indian warship has destroyed a pirate `mother vessel` after a battle off the coast of Somalia, officials said Wednesday.

Navy spokesman Nirad Sinha said a stealth frigate, the INS Tabar, open fire on the ship in the Gulf of Aden late Tuesday after coming under attack from gunmen on board the vessel.

An Indian warship has destroyed a pirate `mother vessel` after a battle off the coast of Somalia, officials said Wednesday.

Navy spokesman Nirad Sinha said a stealth frigate, the INS Tabar, open fire on the ship in the Gulf of Aden late Tuesday after coming under attack from gunmen on board the vessel.

An Indian warship has attacked a pirate boat off the Somali coast, a naval spokesman told AFP Wednesday, resulting in explosions on what he described as a pirate `mother vessel.`

Spokesman Nirad Sinha said Indian stealth frigate INS Tabar, deployed in the Gulf of Aden on an anti-piracy mission, attacked the ship late Tuesday after coming under fire from gunmen on board the vessel.

An Indian warship has attacked a pirate boat off the Somali coast, a naval spokesman told AFP Wednesday, resulting in explosions on what he described as a pirate `mother vessel.`

Spokesman Nirad Sinha said Indian stealth frigate INS Tabar, deployed in the Gulf of Aden on an anti-piracy mission, attacked the ship late Tuesday after coming under fire from gunmen on board the vessel.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned of the `grave danger` of piracy in Somalia Wednesday, calling for the immediate release of crew members including Britons hijacked on a Saudi supertanker.

`The United Kingdom is very worried about the piracy in the Gulf of Aden and in Somalia.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned of the `grave danger` of piracy in Somalia Wednesday, calling for the immediate release of crew members including Britons hijacked on a Saudi supertanker.

`The United Kingdom is very worried about the piracy in the Gulf of Aden and in Somalia.

A Russian warship has stopped an attempted hijacking by Somali pirates of a Saudi ship in the Gulf of Aden, military officials said Sunday.

`Russian frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless) stopped an attempted hijack of a Saudi Arabian vessel by a pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden,` the Russian navy said.

NAIROBI, Nov 18, 2007 (AFP) - Communication has been lost with a Comoran-flagged cargo ship captured by pirates off the Somali coast last month, raising fears of the crew safety, a maritime monitoring group said on Saturday.

The MV Al Marjan, with 22 mostly Asian crew members on board, was seized on October 19 as it sailed to Mogadishu port from the United Arab Emirates port of Dubai.

'We are worried that the ship has cut communication with the owner and the rest of the world,' said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan branch of the Seafarers' Assistance Programme.