Liberian oil tanker MT Smymi has been hijacked by the suspected pirates off the coast of Oman. Eleven Indians were among the crew members being held captive.

The oil tanker was a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) and was carrying 1,35,000 tonnes of oil. The company owning the vessel is believed to be from Greece.

This comes even as the sailors of MV Iceberg-1 remained captive. It has now become the longest-held ship by Somali pirates. These sailors have spent over two years in captivity since March 2010.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Mary Ashton said that she was optimistic that forthcoming talks with Iran would form the basis for Tehran to eventually abandon its controversial nuclear weapons project. She was speaking ahead of talks scheduled for May 23 in Baghdad .

AIR correspondent reports,pirates in Somalia, which has no effective central authority, often receive millions of dollars in ransom in return for hijacked ships.

The tanker's capture comes after a recent fall in the number of hijackings in the region. The drop has been attributed to plans by several countries to allow ships using their flags to sail with armed guards.

EU naval ships are currently on patrol off the Horn of Africa in an effort to protect vessels.

According to the International Maritime Organisation, 17 ships and close to 300 crew are currently held by Somali pirates.