BEIJING (Reuters) — The crew of a Chinese cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates in mid-October was safely rescued early Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, making no mention of a reported ransom payment.
The ship, the De Xin Hai, owned by a unit of China Ocean Shipping, was carrying coal and 25 Chinese crew members to India from South Africa when it was seized by pirates on Oct. 19 east of the Horn of Africa.
China’s statement gave no details of how the crew was recovered. One of the pirates told Reuters on Sunday that a helicopter had dropped a $4 million ransom payment onto the ship’s deck.