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Somali Pirates to Release Chinese Ship

   VOA News 27 December 2009

   Somali  pirates  say they will release a Chinese cargo ship seized two
   months ago far off the coast of Somalia.
   Pirates  say they have reached agreement to receive a ransom of nearly
   $4  million,  and will free the carrier De Xin Hai and its crew in the
   coming hours.

   The  25  crewmen  on board are said to be safe.  The pirates initially
   threatened to kill the entire crew if China's navy attempted to rescue
   them.
   The  Chinese cargo ship was seized in mid-October in the Indian Ocean,
   some  650  kilometers  northeast  of  the Seychelles islands and about
   1,300 kilometers off Somalia's east coast.
   This  was Somali pirates' first hijacking of a Chinese freighter since
   Beijing  deployed three warships to combat piracy off the lawless Horn
   of Africa nation.
   Somali  pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the past two years,
   often getting multi-million dollar ransoms for their release.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP.

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