MADRID, Spain — Pirates in the lawless Gulf of Aden fired on a Japanese oil tanker Monday, unleashing hundreds of gallons of fuel into the sea a day after a Spanish tuna boat was hijacked using rocket-propelled grenades.
The attacks highlight an alarming increase in piracy, prompting international demands for better protection of shipping lanes.
The United States and France are drafting a U.N. resolution that would allow countries to chase and arrest pirates when they try to flee into territorial waters, U.N. diplomats said Monday.
The Gulf of Aden attack, 170 miles off the coast of Yemen, help send crude prices to a record above $117 a barrel Monday before falling slightly.
The International Maritime Bureau says piracy is on the rise, with seafarers suffering 49 attacks between January and March — up 20 percent from that period last year.
