BRUSSELS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The hijacked Chinese bulk carrier was confirmed on Thursday to have arrived off the coast of Somalia and was now in the vicinity of Hobyo, the EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft reported.
"The Hijacked Bulk Carrier, the DE XIN HAI, is confirmed to have arrived off the coast of Somalia and is now in the vicinity of Hobyo," the EU anti-piracy force said in a statement posted on its website.
"It is not yet known if the pirates have contacted the owners and made their demands known," it added.
The pirates usually request a ransom for the hijacked ship and staff. Before that, the hijacked are considered safe.
The DE XIN HAI had 25 Chinese crew members on board.
The ship was hijacked on Monday in the Indian Ocean, 350 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia.
China's Ministry of Transport said later on Monday that relevant governmental agencies were making efforts to rescue the bulk carrier.
Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd., to which the cargo vessel belongs, reported the incident to the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center at 3:50 p.m. Beijing time.
According to the Chinese ship owners' association, the ship weighed 40,892 tons and had a length of 225 meters. It was carrying coal on board and was heading to India from South Africa when it was hijacked.
Piracy has been rampant off the Somali coast in recent years, prompting a dozen countries, including China, to send naval fleets to the Gulf of Aden region on escort missions.
BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- China will make every effort to rescue the crew and the hijacked bulk carrier, the De Xin Hai, from pirates in the Indian Ocean, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said Tuesday.
Ma told a regular press conference that the Chinese government was closely monitoring developments with the ship. Full story
LONDON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The seajacked Chinese bulk carrier DE XIN HAI is heading northwest and is now 650 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia, the EU anti-piracy military organization EU NAVFOR said on Tuesday.
Daniel Auwermann, an official of the organization's media center, said the ship is expected to head toward pirate strongholds based in Somalia. Full story
LONDON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Spokesman of the European Union (EU)naval force John Harbour confirmed on Monday that 25 Chinese people were taken hostages by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean and they seem to be fine.
Harbour said "the total number held hostages along Somali coastis 146. I can confirm on board the carrier, there are 25 Chinese personnel." Full story
