Pirates hijack Taiwanese fishing ship off Seychelles

May 8th, 2010 - 7:08 pm ICT by BNO News  

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) — Somali pirates on Thursday hijacked a Taiwanese fishing boat carrying nearly three dozen crew members off the waters of Seychelles, officials said on Saturday.

The ‘Taiyuan 227′ boat was reported missing on Thursday evening after the owner had repeatedly attempted to contact the vessel, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry said the owner was able to contact the vessel without problems until 7 p.m. Taiwan time, when an unknown person demanded a ransom.

The NATO Piracy Hijacking Centre in London confirmed the hijacking, saying 28 crew members were on board when it was hijacked northeast of the Seychelles.

An official said the ship was carrying nine Chinese, three Vietnamese, three Filipino, seven Kenyans, two Mozambicans, and four crew members from an unknown nation.

The boat is currently near the Somali coast.

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