Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Somali pirates have expanded operations in the Gulf.

Industry sources said Somali pirate vessels were moving north from the
Arabian Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for 40 percent of global
crude oil shipments.

The sources said the operations reflected greater capability
by the pirates as well as the intent to increase profits.

“When you take over an oil tanker, you hit the jackpot,” an industry
source said. “This would be the most profitable success for the pirates.”

On May 23, Somali pirates attacked a cargo ship near Hormuz, controlled by Iran. Armed guards aboard the U.S.-flagged Maersk Texas were said to have foiled the attack.

The operator of the ship, Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk, said the
148-meter cargo vessel was attacked by “multiple pirate skiffs in the Gulf of Oman.” The company, in a statement on May 24, said pirates opened and the guards returned fire. Nobody was reported injured.

“Numerous skiffs with armed men in each boat quickly closed on Maersk Texas,” Maersk Line, a U.S. unit of the Maersk group, said in a statement. “All hands onboard are safe and unharmed, and the vessel is proceeding on its voyage.”

Maersk Texas was said to have just exited Hormuz northeast of the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah when the vessel came under attack. The company said Maersk Texas was headed for the United States.

After a lull of about a year, Somali pirates have resumed attacks in the
Gulf of Oman. Industry sources said the pirates have used fishing and other
civilian boats as a shield for their attacks.

  Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, port of Fujairah, Somali pirates looking for oil tanker ‘jackpot’ in Strait of Hormuz, U.S.-flagged Maersk Texas