The tanker, a 300,000-tonne ship called the Samho Dream was loaded with crude oil and was on its way to the United States from Iraq with 24 crew.  It was seized on Sunday and the South Korean government has sent a destroyer already in the area to intercept the tanker before it reaches any port. The Cheong-hae destroyer was on patrol in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates have often staged attacks. It has been diverted some 1,500 km (930 miles) to the south-east to the area where the hijacking took place. Apparently the South Korean government has dispatched the Cheong-hae naval unit to the waters of the Indian Ocean, where the ship hijacked by Somali pirates is assumed to be, the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement.

According to the Ministry, The ship is presumed to have been hijacked by Somali pirates. It also expressed concern for the safety of the crew that includes five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos.  The Samho Dream’s cargo is estimated at about $170 million. South Korea is one of several Asian nations that have an anti-piracy warship patrolling Somali waters to guard against hijackings.