Pirates take 29 Chinese crew as hostages in Somalia

A CARGO ship with 29 Chinese crew aboard has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea near India, outside the Gulf of Aden, where a multi-national force is on patrol, according to ANS Indo-Asian News Service.

Andrew Mwangura, the East Africa coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP) said: "I can confirm the pirates hijacked Yuan Xiang at midnight in the Arabian Sea near India. The vessel has 29 Chinese crew."

The pirates are reported to have told the shipping company that they will take the ship to Somalia, Mr Mwangura told Xinhua. The ship, while owned by various people on the mainland, is a Panama-flagged 14,538-ton, 32-year-old geared general cargo ship.
(Source:www.schednet.com)