Pirates seize Norwegian tanker off Madagascan coast, 17 Filipino seafarers due Sunday from captivity in Somalia

A Somali pirate sits on shore January 7 in northeastern Somalia. Captured Greek vessel the MV Filitsa is in the background

CNN) -- Pirates have hijacked a Norwegian tanker off the coast of Madagascar and are steering the ship toward Somalia, the ship's owner said. The captain of the UBT Ocean called the technical director for Broevigtank, the company that owns the ship, and reported that pirates had come aboard Friday, said Svenn Pederson, CEO of Broevigtank.Contact with the captain has since been lost. But the company has been tracking the location of the vessel.Pederson said the ship was carrying fuel destined for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and has 21 crew members aboard.The waters around the Horn of Africa, especially off the coast of lawless Somalia

17 Filipino seafarers due Sunday from captivity in Somalia