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Pirates demand $25m ransom

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Marie Claire World News: Oil carrier

The Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker have demanded a $25m ransom to be paid in 10 days.

If the demand is not met, there could be 'disastrous' consequences for the Sirius Star and its 25 international crew, including two Britons.

One of the pirates, who identified himself as Mohammed Said, spoke by satellite phone from the seized vessel.

'We are demanding 25 million dollars from the Saudi owners of the tanker. We do not want long-term discussions to resolve the matter,' Said is reported to have said.

'The Saudis have 10 days to comply, otherwise we will take action that could be disastrous.'

If the giant oil tanker carrying two million barrels of oil is scuttled, it would cause an environmental catastrophe.

However, the foreign secretary David Milliband has indicated that the ransom would not be paid.

He said the international community must 'stand firm' against hostage-taking in all its forms to avoid encouraging repeat hijackings, reports The Guardian.

'There is a strong view of the British government, and actually the international community, that payments for hostage-taking are only an encouragement to further hostage-taking and we will be approaching this issue in a very delicate way,' he said.

The Sirius Star, carrying $100m (£66m) worth of oil, was hijacked at the weekend. It is believed to be the largest ship ever seized by pirates.