MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Armed men are demanding a ransom for the release of an oil tanker they have seized off the coast of Somalia and the crew is being held captive, the European Union anti-piracy operation in the region announced late Tuesday. "The EU Naval Force ... has received positive confirmation from the master of ... Aris 13, that his ship and crew are currently being held captive by a number of suspected armed pirates in an anchorage off the north coast of Puntland, close to Alula," the force said in a statement late on Tuesday. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was in touch with shipping agents and officials abroad for more information to help ensure the crew’s “safety and welfare.” A U.N. shipping database shows the Aris 13 is owned by Armi Shipping SA, whose address is listed in care of Aurora Ship Management FZE, a company based in the United Arab Emirates. MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Pirates off the coast of Somalia have seized an oil tanker with eight Sri Lankans on board, in what was believed to be the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel in the region since 2012, officials said Tuesday. However, the United Nations warned in October that the situation was fragile and that Somali pirates “possess the intent and capability to resume attacks.” One expert said some in the region had let down their guard as the situation calmed. The vessel, the Aris 13, was a small tanker delivering fuel, according to John Steed, a retired British army colonel who is now the Horn of Africa regional manager for Oceans Beyond Piracy, a program based in Colorado that works to combat piracy. EU Navfor said as soon as it received an alert on the ship's seizure, it sent patrol aircraft from its Djibouti base to try to make radio contact with the ship, and only late on Tuesday did its headquarters in London reach the vessel's master by phone. An official in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland said over two dozen men boarded the ship off the country's northern coast, an area known to be used by weapons smugglers and members of the al Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab. The ship was anchored Tuesday off the town of Alula, said Salad Nur, a local elder. EU Navfor said as soon as it received an alert on the ship’s seizure, it sent patrol aircraft from its Djibouti base to try to make radio contact and late on Tuesday its headquarters in London managed to contact the vessel’s master by phone. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was in touch with shipping agents and officials abroad for more information to help ensure the crew’s “safety and welfare.”

The incident involving the Aris 13 represents the first commercial pirate attack off Somalia since 2012, Steed of Oceans Beyond Piracy said. That year, aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy estimated the global cost of piracy at about $7 billion.
Off the northern coast of Somalia, Somali pirates hijack the Aris 13, a United Arab Emirates-owned oil tanker, kidnapping eight Sri Lankan crew members. This is the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel in five years.