Pirates have seized a Taiwanese fishing boat with 14 crew from Vietnam, China, Indonesia and Taiwan in the most southerly and ambitious raid by Somali pirates yet, European naval forces said yesterday.
The Feng Guo No. 168 was attacked 463km from Antisiranana, Madagascar, EU-NAVFOR said in a statement.
“This is the most southerly vessel to be pirated since” the joint EU military operation moved into the area, the statement said.
Forces said the boat’s owners had confirmed its capture and said alongside its Taiwanese skipper, there were eight Vietnamese, three Chinese and two Indonesians among its crew.
The latest capture means “Somali pirates are currently holding 18 ships with 383 hostages,” officials added.
The lack of an effective central government in Somalia has resulted in an escalation of piracy off the east African coast. Somali pirates are holding at least 18 ships and have made millions of dollars in ransom from others.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, had not confirmed the wire reports by press time yesterday, with Samuel Chen (陳士良), director-general of the Department of African Affairs, saying that the situation of Feng Guo No. 168 “remained unclear.”
The trawler, which initially was moving northward toward Somali waters after the hijacking, was then found tarrying around and turning back to move southeastward toward Mauritius, Chen said.
Chen said the ministry was not sure if the boat was hijacked by Somali pirates or by its crew members.
Chen said the ministry was still waiting for information from the Piracy Reporting Center at the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur and the country’s representative offices in South Africa and France to confirm the situation.
The ministry added it has asked for help from the IMO and the US Fifth Fleet under Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain to rescue the hijacked vessel and also requested that Mauritius seek assistance from Madagascar, the Seychelles, Reunion and the Indian Ocean Commission.
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