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Somali pirates have hijacked a Taiwanese trawler near the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, according to Taiwan's Foreign Ministry.
'To our knowledge, the fishing vessel Win Far 161, with 30 crew on board, was seized early on Monday by the pirates near an island in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean,' Chang Yun-ping,  director of the African Affairs Department, said yesterday.
Mr Chang said that two of the crew members, including the captain, were Taiwanese and five were mainland Chinese. There were also 17 Filipinos and six Indonesians.
'We have sought help from the international marine authorities, US Fifth Fleet, British Royal Navy, Somali harbour authorities and Seychelles fishing officials for the location and release of the fishing vessel and its crew,' he said. 
He said that the British Royal Navy had responded, saying it could do nothing at present. Taiwan would step up efforts to seek international help.  
This is not the first instance of Taiwanese fishing vessels falling victim to Somali pirates. Two fishing vessels were seized in 2005 and 2007, with ransoms of US$500,000 and US$200,000 respectively required for their release.
The mainland's navy has offered armed escorts for Taiwanese ships, but the gesture has raised concerns in Taiwan, with many viewing it as a covert move by Beijing to portray the island as part of its territory.
Yesterday's hijacking of the 800-tonne tuna trawler was the latest in a series of attacks in the Indian Ocean, suggesting pirates were trying to evade warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden, media reports said.
Somali pirates have hijacked three vessels this month. Besides the Taiwanese trawler, a Yemeni boat and a 32,000-tonne British-owned bulk carrier, the Malaspina Castle,  were also seized, all three in less than two days.



Somali pirates seize Taiwanese boat