Egypt will take all necessary measures in fighting against piracy in and near the Red Sea, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said on Wednesday.
In an interview with the Egyptian TV, Zaki said Egypt will consider "all options" to curb the growing threat of piracy.
All options are on the table for Egypt since piracy is threatening navigation in the Red Sea and forcing some ships to take other routes, Zaki said.
According to the Egyptian MENA news agency, Arab countries overlooking the Red Sea will hold an emergency meeting here on Thursday to coordinate efforts in fighting against piracy.
Earlier this month, Zaki said the piracy issue should be eradicated by settling its root causes that are closely connected with the turbulence in Somalia.
The waters off the Somali coasts are considered to be some of the world's most dangerous areas as pirates have hijacked nearly 30 ships this year and attacked many more.
Most attacks have been in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia, a major route leading to Egypt's Suez Canal, one of the most important international waterways linking Europe and Asia.
On Saturday, the Sirius Star, which is owned by Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco, was hijacked when it was carrying 2-million barrels of oil.
The supertanker is the world's biggest ship to have been hijacked by the pirates and is said to have anchored off Somalia.
U.S. officials said pirates who seized the oil supertanker and its 25-member crew have taken the vessel to the Somali port of Harard here, a pirate stronghold.
Source:Xinhua
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