<div><p>MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates freed a Greek-flagged tanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil on Monday, a day after the biggest ransom yet paid to them was dropped onto its deck, the pirates and a maritime official said.</p><p>The Maran Centaurus was seized on November 29 with 16 ...

<div><p>Piracy on the high seas rose to its highest level in six years in 2009, with attacks becoming more frequent and more violent across the globe, a maritime watchdog said Thursday.</p><p>There were 406 reported incidents of piracy and high-seas armed robbery in 2009, up from 293 the ...

<div id="subtitle">Somali pirates seize UK, Panamanian-flagged ships</div><div><p>Pirates seized a British-flagged chemical tanker and a Panamanian-flagged carrier off Somalia's coast and were holding 45 crew members Tuesday, a maritime official said.</p><p>The two hijackings late Monday showed that pirates are ...

<div><p>Pirates attacked an oil tanker off the coast of west Africa, killing a Ukrainian officer before escaping with the contents of the ship's safe, the ship's owners and Benin's navy commander said Tuesday.</p><p>Commander Maxime Ahoyo said the officer on the Monrovia-flagged Cancale Star ...