20101008
africanews

Somali pirates hijacked a Taiwanese fishing vessel which was sailing in the Indian Ocean, near Mauritius, an international maritime organization said on Friday.

The organization said that the contact of vessel FV Fend Guo lost in October 4 and likely it had already been hijacked. 14 crew members are on board.

"A ransom is reported to have been demanded for its release, although in the meantime the ship may also be used as a 'mothership' in other sea-jacking attempts,” said the Kenyan based Ecoterra international.

Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) also confirmed the hijack, but could not confirm the nationalities of the crew.

"The Taiwanese fishing vessel lost contact on Oct. 4 and it is feared that the vessel has been hijacked," Mwangura said.

Somali pirates, who have made over $60 million for a ransom, only last year, have reportedly claimed to be acting as "coastguards" protecting their waters from illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste.

Somalia waters have huge numbers of commercial fish species, including the prized yellow fin tuna.

Foreign ships reportedly use prohibited fishing equipment, including nets with very small mesh sizes and sophisticated underwater lighting systems, to lure fish to their traps.

Somali waters are one of the most dangerous in the world, with 47 vessels and 300 crews hijacked by Somali pirates last year.