A Scot is one of two Britons being held hostage by pirates on a hijacked oil tanker.

The Foreign Office yesterday said James Grady, the vessel's second officer, from the Strathclyde area, and Peter French, the chief engineer, from County Durham, are among 25 hostages being held on the Sirius Star, which is currently anchored off the coast of Somalia.

A statement issued yesterday by the families of the Britons said they appreciated the concern expressed by people throughout the UK and beyond.

It added: "They hope that Peter and James will be home safely to their families very soon."

The supertanker was sailing from Saudi Arabia to the US last weekend when it was attacked and boarded by pirates about 400 miles from the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

The vessel, the largest ever to be hijacked, was fully laden with two million barrels of oil worth more than $100m.

The tanker's owners are negotiating a possible ransom, according to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal. He did not confirm whether a ransom was likely to be agreed but said talks had begun.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband called for the immediate release of the crew. He said the problem of piracy was "a grave danger to the stability in the region" and added that the Royal Navy was involved in efforts to resolve the situation.

US President George W Bush has been briefed about increasing attacks by Somali pirates off east Africa. A White House spokesman said the US was consulting with other UN Security Council members over ways to combat the threat.

Yesterday's developments came as it emerged that an Indian warship had sunk a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden.

Click here to comment on this story...