Cargo ship, China crew rescued from pirates

A Panama-registered cargo ship seized by pirates in the Arabian Sea has been rescued, along with the 24 Chinese sailors aboard, China's transport ministry said. US and Turkish teams rescued the vessel, Full City, late Thursday, several hours after it had been hijacked about 800 kilometres (500 miles) off the Indian city of Mumbai, the ministry said, citing the China Sea Rescue Centre. The statement did not say what kind of teams were involved or whether a ransom was paid. The sailors were all in good condition, it said. Heavily armed pirates using speedboats operate in and around the Gulf of Aden where they prey on ships, sometimes holding vessels for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or ship owners. The Chinese navy participates in an international anti-piracy force in the area. In November last year, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship with 19 Chinese crew that had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia five months before was freed after sources said a ransom of several million dollars was paid.