The UN Security Council extended on Monday the mandate of an international anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia for another year.

In a report to the Security Council released last Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said international counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden have led to a decline in the number of ship seizures in the region.

The European Union last Thursday extended its anti-piracy mandate in the area - Operation Atalanta - until the end of 2010.

On Sunday, Somali pirates hijacked a large Greek-owned oil tanker, believed to be the largest ship seized by the pirates to date. A group of pirates attacked the Maran Centaurus near the Seychelles. The ship has 28 crew members on board - 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and one Romanian.

Somali pirates are currently holding 11 foreign ships with over 260 crewmembers. The country has been without an effective government since 1991.

UN, November 30 (RIA Novosti)