Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) A Taiwanese fishing boat was feared to have been hijacked by Somali pirates in waters near Madagascar off the coast of eastern Africa after having been out of contact since Dec. 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release Friday.
The Kaohsiung-based longliner Hsiuh Fu No. 1 lost contact with its Taiwanese owner after being chased by unknown vessels Dec. 25 and the MOFA said it could have been hijacked in Madagascar's exclusive economic zone, given recent extensive Somali piracy activities there.
There were 26 people on board, including the Taiwanese skipper, as well as 12 Chinese and 13 Vietnamese crewmen, according to the Council of Agriculture's Fishery Agency.
The MOFA launched an emergency mission upon learning about the vessel's disappearance, instructing Taiwan's representative office in Cape Town, South Africa to seek assistance from the government of Madagascar as well as contacting the Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center, the ministry said in the press release.
The maritime watchdog Ecoterra International said on its website that the Shiuh Fu No. 1, which is licensed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to fish in the waters, had been hijacked and that "on Dec. 28 the vessel maintained a strange, patrol-like pattern along Latitude 52 on the northeastern side of Madagascar."
The European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia reported that there are "strong indications that FV Shiuh Fu No. 1 has been pirated" and the conditions of the crew and the vessel are unknown.
According to the EU NAVFOR, there are 26 vessels and 613 hostages being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J