Pirates have hijacked a tanker with a crew of 18 Filipinos in the southern Red Sea. <br/><br/>The EU's naval task force, Eunavfor, said the tanker Motivator, carrying lubricating oil, reported it was under small arms fire from a pirate attack in the northern Bab al-Mandeb area in the southern Red Sea. After notification of this attack, attempts were made to make contact with the Motivator but to no avail. <br/><br/>The hijack of the vessel was confirmed early today. Pirates based in Somalia have been using speed boats to attack and seize commercial vessels in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in order to hold the crews and boats for ransom. <br/><br/>According to official figures, last year was the most active yet for the pirates, with more than 200 attacks, including 68 successful hijackings and 50 million dollars paid out in ransoms.