A hijacked Chinese bulk carrier and 25 Chinese crew members aboard were successfully rescued at 3 a.m. on December 28, according to Chinese Marine Search and Rescue Center.

After the rescue mission, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said that De Xin Hai, the hijacked vessel, has been under protection of Chinese naval escort fleet.

After the medical checkup of crew members and resupply of provisions, the fleet will escort the ship and the crew to a safe sea area, and then ensure their safe return to China as soon as possible, according to Jiang.

Chinese bulk carrier De Xin Hai, which belongs to Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd, carried about 76,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa to India when it was hijacked in the Indian Ocean on October 19, 350 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia.

After the hijack incident, the Chinese government instructed relevant departments and enterprises to carry out rescue mission while ensuring the safety of the ship and the crew members.

Jiang said that the Chinese government expressed sincere greetings to the rescued crew members and their families.

Chinese Foreign Ministry again reminds Chinese vessels and personnel not to go close to relevant dangerous sea areas and take precaution measures so as to avoid occurrence of incident.

China's Ministry of Transport again demands Chinese shipping companies and their vessels and crew to strengthen self-protective measures in an effort to prevent hijack by pirates.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2009)