Somali pirates release Chinese fishing ship

Somali pirates have released a Chinese-owned fishing vessel, the Liaoning Daping 578, three months after hijacking it.

The pirates had seized the vessel in the waters of Xaafuun district in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, a territory in northeastern Somalia, with 18 crew members safe on board.

The Chinese embassy in Somalia said on Monday that the fishing vessel had been released and was heading for “safe waters.” However, it was not immediately clear whether the $10 million ransom demanded by the pirates had been paid.

The embassy said in a statement posted on X that the crew had been rescued on Monday after “the unremitting efforts of the Chinese government.”

“The Chinese side strongly condemns this vicious action which threatened the safety of the crew and international navigation security, and will continue to firmly safeguard the lawful rights of Chinese citizens and enterprises overseas,” the statement said.

The incident involving the fishing boat was reported in November by Eunavfor Atalanta, the European Union mission that monitors security of vessels navigating off the Horn of Africa waters. The mission also confirmed that the vessel was in safe hands.

Eunavfor had said it was monitoring the vessel and in contact with the authorities in Somalia and China.

In mid-December, reports surfaced that the pirates had increased their demand for the ship’s release to $10 million. This came after reports said the Chinese offered $300,000 and later $1 million for the release of the vessel and its crew. 

Eunavfor reported that the fishing vessel was under the control of the suspected pirates, some of whom were carrying AK-47s and machine guns. The mission has documented reports of 20 attacks in 2024, including those that were unsuccessful in seizing vessels.

It says there 15 suspicious approaches were reported during the year. However, it notes that there is an unknown number of unreported/unconfirmed incidents involving dhows and smaller vessels.