DUBAI - Saudi Aramco hopes to hear from pirates who hijacked a supertanker with an oil cargo worth $100 million later on Wednesday, a spokesman for the company's shipping arm said.
"We are still waiting for contact," the spokesman for Aramco's Dubai-based unit Vela International told Reuters. "We are hoping the pirates will contact us some time today."
The Saudi newspaper Okaz, citing an unnamed Saudi official, reported that Aramco had commissioned an international firm to negotiate with the pirates. Vela declined to comment.
The Vela spokesman said the company had no details on a ransom demand from the pirates. "We don't have that information as we didn't have contact," he said.
Vela said in a statement on Tuesday that it was waiting for further contact from the pirates but has declined to give details of any previous contacts.
Vela operates the Sirius Star, which is owned by Aramco. The giant vessel, with a capacity of two million barrels of oil, was seized by Somali pirates at the weekend in their boldest strike yet.
"We are still waiting for contact," the spokesman for Aramco's Dubai-based unit Vela International told Reuters. "We are hoping the pirates will contact us some time today."
The Saudi newspaper Okaz, citing an unnamed Saudi official, reported that Aramco had commissioned an international firm to negotiate with the pirates. Vela declined to comment.
The Vela spokesman said the company had no details on a ransom demand from the pirates. "We don't have that information as we didn't have contact," he said.
Vela said in a statement on Tuesday that it was waiting for further contact from the pirates but has declined to give details of any previous contacts.
Vela operates the Sirius Star, which is owned by Aramco. The giant vessel, with a capacity of two million barrels of oil, was seized by Somali pirates at the weekend in their boldest strike yet.
