Somalian pirates have threatened to kill a crew of 23 men, unless a $1million ransom is paid.
Japanese tanker, the Golden Nori, was sailing from Singapore to Israel when it was attacked by the pirates two months ago.
At the end of October, US warships patrolling off the coast of Somalia picked up distress calls from the tanker, carrying a cargo of chemicals.
The US ships fired on the pirates' speedboats, sinking two of them. They followed the Golden Nori into Somali coastal waters and trapped the tanker near the port of Bossaso.
According to reports, Somali coastal waters are considered to be extremely dangerous. There is no effective government or deterrents against pirates.
