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 .