Crew members seized by Somali pirates released

DAR ES SALAAM - The Chinese embassy in Tanzania confirmed Wednesday that a fishing boat from Taiwan had been freed after being taken hostage by Somali pirates for nearly 19 months.

All the 26 crew members - 13 people from the Chinese mainland, one from Taiwan, and 12 Vietnamese - have been released and were being escorted by a Chinese navy ship to the port of Dar es Salaam, an embassy counsellor said.

Two teams of government officials from China's Anhui province and Henan province will arrive in Tanzania on Friday to help the freed fishermen return home.

The FV Shiuh Fu No 1 trawler was seized by Somali pirates on Dec 25, 2010 off the Madagascar coast and then forced to Somalia.