Somali pirates have captured a Chinese ship in the Indian Ocean, MSN reports:
China’s Ministry of Transport said relevant government agencies were making efforts to rescue a hijacked Chinese bulk carrier in the Indian Ocean, state media reported late Monday.
The ship, named “De Xin Hai” and carrying coal, according to Xinhua news agency, was hijacked earlier Monday, northeast of the Seychelles.
Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co. Ltd, owner of the vessel, reported the incident to the China Maritime Search and Rescue Centre at 3:50 pm (0750 GMT), Xinhua said.
The ship was en route from South Africa to India, according to Xinhua, which quoted the centre as saying 25 seamen were aboard the ship.
See also a report from Xinhua.
Update: According to CCTV, the EU Naval Force has said all 25 hostages aboard the ship are safe.
Update 2: See “China Aims to Save Crew as Somalis Threaten Execution” from Bloomberg.
