Company: Hijacked Greek-flagged oil supertanker near pirate haven along Somali coast

Hijacked Greek tanker reaches Somali coast

NAIROBI, Kenya — A Greek shipping company says an oil supertanker Somali pirates hijacked four days ago has reached the coast of Somalia.

Maran Tankers Management Inc. says in a Wednesday statement the tanker is near the Somali coastal of Hobyo. The town is a haven for pirates. The company says that ship’s crew of 28 are well.

The Maran Centaurus was hijacked on Sunday about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia. The tanker is carrying around 275,000 metric tons of crude oil.

Somali pirates have increased attacks on vessels off East Africa for the millions of dollars of ransom that can be had. But Somalia does not have a coast guard or navy to stop them because it has not had an effective central government for 18 years.