NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates seized a Chinese cargo ship Monday with 25 people onboard, a naval spokesman for the European Union's anti-piracy force said, in the first successful attack on a Chinese vessel since the country deployed three naval warships to the region.
Cmdr. John Harbour said that coalition forces had observed at least two pirates onboard the deck of the De Xin Hai and the cargo ship also was towing two light skiffs used by the pirates behind it. All 25 crew onboard are Chinese, he said.
The attack occurred early Monday in the Indian Ocean about 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) east of the lawless Somali coastline. Harbour said he believed it was the farthest afield the pirates had ever struck.
"We're pushing them further and further afield to get targets," he said, referring to a coalition of navies dedicated to fighting piracy in the region.
Analyst Roger Middleton from British thinktank Chatham House said it was unlikely that the Chinese would want to endanger the lives of their crew through direct intervention. French and American navies have both engaged pirates holding hostages, he said, but only when the navies believed the hostages' lives were in imminent danger.
The Chinese "probably would use a more cautious approach," Middleton said. But, he added: "We've never seen so many Chinese citizens captured at a time when Chinese ships were in the region."
A previous attack on a Chinese vessel last year was repelled when the crew used homemade Molotov cocktails to fight off their attackers.
Somali pirates have recently ramped up attacks after a period of quiet during poor weather. They use sophisticated equipment and so-called larger "mother ships" to enable them to strike hundreds of miles offshore. The multimillion-dollar ransoms they share are a fortune in their impoverished and war-ravaged country.
A total of 146 people, including the crew of the De Xin Hai, are currently being held hostage by pirates.
Originally posted by SUNLINER81: Wonder what a "pirate mothership" would look like with a torpedo exploding under it's keel?... Respectfully, SUNLINER81
I would almost bet that the Chinese storm the ship and feed the pirates to the sharks on video. The Pirates will want to try their luck with a Taiwanese ship next time.
China has a force of three ships patrolling the Gulf of Aden
quote:
China has pledged to make an "all out" effort to rescue a cargo ship with 25 crew on board that has been hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean.
The De Xin Hai was seized early on Monday about 1,100km (700 miles) east of the Somali coast.
An associate of the pirates has reportedly warned that a rescue attempt would put the crew's lives at risk.
The EU's anti-piracy naval mission said the ship was being tracked and the crew appeared to be in good condition.
The hijacking is believed to be the first time a ship has been seized between the Seychelles and Maldives, in a sign that pirates have expanded the reach of their operations.
The De Xin Hai, owned by the Qingdao Ocean Shipping Company, was transporting coal from South Africa to India.
Pirate warning
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said China would make "all-out efforts to rescue the hijacked ship and personnel".
He said China had "actively started rescue operations" for the ship, without giving details.
Other Chinese ships have been ordered to stay away from the area "in case of accident or danger," Mr Ma said.
China sent three warships to the region late last year to help guard against pirate attacks.
An associate of the pirates who seized the ship told Reuters news agency that China should not "endanger the lives of their people with a rescue operation".
"If they try that we will execute the whole crew," said the associate, Hassan, from the pirate stronghold of Haradheere in Somalia.
"We tell them to change their mind regarding any rescue, otherwise they will regret it. We know what they are planning to do."
John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Navfor Maritime Patrol, said one of its aircraft had located the vessel after Monday's attack.
"The aircraft spotted at least four pirates on the deck and the vessel is towing two skiffs. It was last reported heading west towards the Somali coast," he said.
Hassan told Reuters that the hijacked ship would be sailed to either Haradheere or Hobyo.
Monday's hijacking brings to six the total number of vessels currently in the hands of Somali pirates.
Joel Morgan, the Seychelles' minister of state for piracy, said maritime traffic in the area had dropped by a third recently due to the threat.
