China vows 'all-out efforts' to rescue hijacked ship

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China vows 'all-out efforts' to rescue hijacked ship

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20 October,2009 10:20 pm

China on Tuesday said rescue operations were under way for the crew of a Chinese coal ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters in Beijing that his government had actively started rescue operations for the ship, which has a crew of 25. He declined to give details but observers said they expected the issue to be resolved diplomatically. Ma added that China had issued a warning to its citizens in or travelling to the area. China sent three warships to Somali waters late last year with great fanfare, after a ship carrying oil to China was attacked by pirates. But Chinese warships, like those of other nations, primarily provide protection in the narrow and dangerous Gulf of Aden, not in the much larger Indian Ocean. Ships travelling up the east coast of Africa are advised to stay at least 600 nautical miles offshore, Chinese shippers said. The De Xin Hai, carrying about 76,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa to the port of Mundra, in Gujarat, India, was hijacked about 700 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia on Monday, the European Union's counter-piracy force said.