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Hijacked ship spotted off Somalia coast
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Published: Oct. 23, 2009 at 12:22 PM
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HOBYO, Somalia, Oct. 23 (UPI) — The European Union anti-piracy force says the hijacked Chinese bulk carrier De Xin Hai has arrived off the coast of Somalia.
EU NAVFOR said Thursday on its Web site a EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft confirmed the De Xin Hai was spotted near the Somalia harbor city of Hobyo.
“It is not yet known if the pirates have contacted the owners and made their demands known,” the anti-piracy force said.
China’s official state-run Xinhua news agency reported the Chinese vessel, which has 25 crew members, was hijacked in the Indian Ocean Monday.
The carrier belongs to Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co. and was shipping coal from South Africa to India when commandeered.
Xinhua said China is one of a dozen countries that sends naval ships to the Gulf of Aden region to protect maritime shippers from pirates.