Written by admin on February 12, 2010 – 2:42 pm
All 30 crew members of a Taiwanese deep-sea fishing vessel are safe and on their way back to Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reiterated Friday, rebutting media reports that three of its crew had died.The 700-ton longliner Win Far 161 and its crew of 30 were released the previous day by Somali pirates who hijacked the vessel near an island in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean April 6, 2009 and held them for 10 months.
According to the ministry’s most recent contact with the boat’s owner, the crew of 30, including 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese, are safe, a MOFA official said, adding that military vessels in adjacent waters will escort the boat and its crew, as well as provide food, water and health services during its return voyage to Taiwan.
