Eric Watkins
OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 2 -- The Sikinos, a Greek-flagged tanker transporting crude from Sudan to China, was attacked by pirates off Oman, but the ship escaped its pursuers.
The Sikinos, with 8 Greek and 16 Filipino crew members, was attacked by pirates firing automatic weapons from speedboats 550 nautical miles off Oman.
Crew members used flares and water hoses to fend off the attackers, according to the tanker’s owner, Maritime Cyclades.
Following the thwarted attack, the Sikinos is continuing its journey to Huangpu port in southeast China's Guangdong province.
Earlier this week pirates seized a very large crude carrier bound for the US with $20 million of oil (OGJ Online, Dec. 1, 2009). It was the second VLCC seized in a year.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].