China plans to dispatch 3 warships to Somalia

By Li Xinran  |   2008-12-18  |     ONLINE EDITION

CHINA plans to dispatch three warships to waters off the coast of Somalia to join the international community's fight against piracy, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It will be the country's first operation of this kind.

The Beijing-based Global Times said today two destroyers and a large depot ship would set sail for the region after Christmas to defend Chinese shipping.

The first tour of duty would be three months, it said.

China Navy ships Guangzhou, Wuhan and Weishanhu, all from the south sea fleet, may be involved in the mission, but it could not be independently confirmed.

NATO ships began anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast in late October, but they have failed to stop rampant hijackings. Other nations are now contributing to the mission.

An international force rescued a Chinese ship from Somali pirates yesterday.

The Chinese ship Zhenhua 4 was one of four vessels seized by pirates on Tuesday, the same day the United Nations Security Council took a strong stand against the attacks and authorized countries to pursue the gunmen on land, Shanghai Daily reported earlier today.

The hijack occurred just hours after China said it was "seriously considering sending naval ships" to the region.

Nine pirates armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns boarded the Chinese ship. The 30 crew members locked themselves in their quarters and used fire hoses and Molotov cocktails to prevent the attackers from entering, an official with the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center said.

All 30 crew members were rewarded US$10,000 each by their company today for their brave response during the emergency.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia this year has earned gunmen millions of dollars in ransom, hiked shipping insurance costs and caused international alarm.

According to Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance program, there have been 124 incidents of piracy off Somalia this year and some 60 successful hijacks.

Nearly 400 people and 19 ships are being held along the coast, including a Saudi supertanker with 2 million barrels of oil and a Ukrainian cargo ship with 33 tanks.

The resolution passed by the 15-nation Security Council on Tuesday said states "may undertake all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace" to stop the pirates.

The Security Council's resolution called on countries to "take part actively" in the fight against piracy.

China is now involved in peacekeeping operations around the world including Haiti and Sudan's troubled Darfur region, and was praised in July by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for its contribution of both funds and forces, earlier reports said.