28 Chinese Crewmen Aboard the Hijacked Freighter

Iranian Naval Vessels in the Vicinity

The China Maritime Search and Rescue Center reports that 28 crewmembers were on board the Chinese freighter “XIANG HUA MEN” when it was hijacked by the pirates off Iranian coast near the port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman. All crewmembers are Chinese nationals. The number of pirates involved is still unknown. [agile-news.com].

The freighter was reportedly carrying a load of 16,000 tons of steel and heavy equipment from Shanghai to BIK (Bandar Imam Khomeini) in the Persian Gulf. The vessel was scheduled to reach BIK on 8 April.

Iranian naval vessels are now reportedly within 0.5 nautical miles from the hijacked freighter. The Iranian media have not covered the story yet, with the exception of a short report by IRNA on China’s request from Iran to help rescue the hijacked ship and its crewmembers.

The freighter was hijacked today at position 25-28N 057-32E at 0555 UTC.

File Photo: XIANG HUA MEN / MarineTraffic.com