Society

Taiwan crew express gratitude to mainland for escort

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-18 22:29

BEIJING - The crew of a Taiwan fishing vessel came to Beijing Thursday to thank the mainland authorities for deploying a vessel to escort them home after being held hostage by Somali pirates for 10 months.

"Our ship could not have returned home so smoothly without the help from the China Shipowners Association (CSA) and the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center," said Yan Sheng-nan, captain of the Win Far 161.

Presenting two crystal trophies with the image of Win Far 161, Hsieh Long-yan, president of the ship's owner Win Far Fishery Group, said, "These are symbols of the heartfelt thanks of all my company's staff to the mainland vessel and to the CSA."

The Win Far 161 was hijacked on April 6 last year by Somali pirates while fishing near the Seychelles islands. The crew comprised two Taiwanese, five mainlanders, six Indonesians and 17 Filipinos.

On February 11, the Win Far 161 was released with less than three days of fuel, all communication facilities smashed, and its crew robbed.

The Kaohsiung-based Win Far Fishery Group appealed for an escort. They asked several countries that had missions in the Gulf of Aden, but were turned down.

The company asked the mainland Shipowners Association for help. CSA vice president Xu Guibin said his association immediately contacted the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Navy after receiving the appeal, and coordinated the escort process.

"It's our responsibility to give a hand when Taiwan compatriots face difficulties," Xu said.

"As pirates are still rampant, we hope people from the sea transport industry across the Strait can enhance cooperation and share experiences and information to ensure transport safety," Xu said.