Somali pirates have struck again, seizing a Hong Kong cargo ship loaded with wheat and bound for Iran. The hijacking of the *Delight *comes on the heels of the pirates' biggest score yet: a 1080-foot Saudi supertanker, packed with $100 million worth of oil. It's now anchored off of the Somali coast.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen told reporters he was "stunned" by the capture of the Sirius Star tanker. "These [pirates]... have proven to be pretty capable, can get on and off lots of vessels. I mean, this is a 300,000-ton [vessel] – three times bigger one of our aircraft carriers."

Yesterday, Combined

Maritime Forces commander Vice Admiral Bill Gortney told ship-owners that they had to be responsible for their own pirate-defense – despite the swarm of warships in the region.

One Norwegian shipping firm has ordered its vessels to avoid the region entirely, CNN reports.

The decision by the maritime company Odfjell SE means its 90-plus ships will take the additional time and expense to sail around the southern tip of Africa instead of going through the Suez Canal, a shortcut for mariners for nearly a century and a half.

*[Photo: Shipspotting.com]

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