Iranian Navy Rescues Hijacked Freighter & Crew, 9 Pirates Arrested
The Iranian navy has freed a Panama-flagged Chinese freighter that was hijacked on Friday by Somali pirates off Iran. All of the assailants have been arrested. No injuries have yet been confirmed.
The Xianghuamen, a Nanjing Ocean Shipping Company owned vessel, was detained on Friday in the Gulf of Oman near Chabahar, an Iranian port.
The vessel left Shanghai, unloaded some cargo in Singapore and was heading to a southwest Iranian port, Imam Khomeini.
A successful rescue mission conducted by Iranian naval forces resulted in the ship’s release and the arrest of nine alleged pirates. The pirates were confirmed to be Somali and the sugar-loaded ship is now en route to Iran, as originally scheduled. According to the Somalia Report, two Iranian naval vessels approached the ship; the pirates were instructed to throw their weapons overboard and they complied with the orders.
Chinese news agency, Xinhua, reports that the Chinese ambassador to Iran demanded that the crew’s safety needed to be a main priority to Iran. 28 Chinese crewmen were rescued.
Due to advantageous weather conditions, piracy is expected to remain constant for the remainder of the month.
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