Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) A Taiwanese fishing boat might have been hijacked off Mauritius waters in the Indian Ocean, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release Thursday.
The ministry said it was informed by the Council of Agriculture's Fishery Agency at noon time Wednesday that the Feng-guo 168, which registered in the southern port of Tungkang, Pingtung County might be hijacked in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the island country.
Crew members of the longliner included a Taiwanese captain, eight Vietnamese, two Indonesians and three Chinese, the MOFA said.
In addition to trying to gather the latest information about the ship through its representative office in South Africa and France as well as Taiwanese fishery officials in Mauritius, the foreign ministry said it has also sought the assistance of the Malaysia-based Piracy Reporting Center of the International Maritime Bureau, a subsidiary under the International Maritime Organization, and the maritime liaison office of America's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.
A France patrol aircraft has arrived at the scene and has located the boat, according to the ministry.
The incident was believed to be the first hijack case in the Mauritius EEZ, the MOFA said. (By Chris Wang) Enditem