According to an Associated Press report, Somali pirates hijacked a Saudi supertanker loaded with crude hundreds of miles off the coast of East Africa — defeating the security web of warships trying to protect vital shipping lanes. The takeover demonstrates the bandits' heightened ambitions and capabilities: Never before have they seized such a giant ship so far out to sea. Maritime experts warned the broad daylight attack, reported by the U.S. Navy on Monday, was an alarming sign of the difficulty of patrolling a vast stretch of ocean key to oil and other cargo traffic. The MV Sirius Star, a brand new tanker with a 25-member crew, was seized at about 10 a.m. on Nov. 15, more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, the Navy said.