Sirius Star crew families plead for the release of their loved ones while negotiations with the pirates get under way.
The owners of a Saudi Arabian oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates are negotiating a possible ransom, the Saudi foreign minister has said. The Sirius Star is the biggest tanker ever hijacked, carrying a cargo of two million barrels of Saudi oil - worth more than $100m (£67m).
Saudi's Prince Saud al-Faisal did not confirm whether a ransom was likely to be agreed, but said talks had begun.
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Asked whether a ransom was being negotiated, the Saudi foreign minister said the decision rested with the owners of the tanker.
"We do not like to negotiate with either terrorists or hijackers. But the owners of the tanker, they are the final arbiters of what happens there," Prince Saud al-Faisal said. "What we know is that we are going to join the task force that will try and eradicate this threat to international trade."
For their part, the shipping company will neither confirm nor deny that negotiations were taking place.
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