# "Xiang Hua Men" pirated off Iran



## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

The Nanjing Ocean Shipping Company tweendecker _"Xiang Hua Men"_ was boarded by Somali pirates off Iran today:

Xinhua (New China News Agency) saith (sorry about the rough and ready translation):

Quote:

Xinhua Beijing, April 6 (reporter Lin Hongmei)

The China Maritime Search and Rescue Center was informed that in the afternoon of April 6, Beijing time, China Maritime Search and Rescue Center received a report, the Panamanian-registered bulk carrier Xiang Hua Men, in the Gulf of Oman, was boarded by an unknown number of pirates. The site of the incident was outside the naval convoy area by about 1,000 nautical miles, according to the shipping company, who reported a total of 28 crew members on board, all Chinese nationals.

China's maritime search and rescue center immediately launched the emergency plan to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships. In acordance with the cooperation agreement, information was shared with the International Maritime Organization, Asian region, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center, and Iran's maritime search and rescue agencies were informed. The relevant domestic departments and embassies in relevant countries are ordered to assist to carry out rescue work.

It is understood that the "Xiang Hua Men" has a total tonnage of 15,709, the length is 181.5 meters, the ship is 23.05 meters wide, this voyage was half load (load of steel, equipment), bound for Iran via Hong Kong from Shanghai. Iranian naval vessels within 0.5 nautical miles of the M/V "Xiang Hua Men" ship were contacted and confirmed that the vessel had been hijacked by pirates.

Ministry of Transport once again reminded the shipping enterprises and their ships and crews of the need for risk awareness, and to further strengthen the self-anti-self-help measures.

unquote

Since this is on Xinhua it is now official. 

I have since heard that the ship was stormed and retaken by the Iranian Navy at the request of the Chinese Government, but have not been able to confirm this.


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

now Reuters have confirmed that the ship was retaken:

(Reuters) - Iranian naval forces freed a Chinese freighter hijacked by Somali pirates off southern Iran on Friday and arrested all the attackers, the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars reported.

"Through the successful mission of Iranian naval forces, the ship was released and nine pirates were arrested," Iranian port official Saeed Izadiyan said, according to Fars. It did not say whether anyone had been hurt.

The Xianghuamen, owned by Nanjing Ocean Shipping Co Ltd, had been seized on Friday morning in the Gulf of Oman near the south Iranian port of Chabahar, the Chinese embassy in Tehran reported on its website.

Izadiyan said the pirates were Somali and that the ship was now on its way to Iran.

he Xianghuamen had departed from Shanghai, stopped to unload goods in Singapore, and had been on its way to Imam Khomeini port in southwest Iran, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

Chinese ambassador to Iran Yu Hongyang had demanded that Iran make the safety of the crew a priority, Xinhua reported


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## Mad Landsman (Dec 1, 2005)

Arrested? That is mighty benevolent of the Iranians, they must have something else in mind.
It will be interesting to see what their subsequent treatment will be under Iranian Law.


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

I suspect that right at the top of their list was ensuring delivery of the cargo, followed pretty closely by not upsetting their only friends.


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

I wonder what the "Steel Equipment" was exactly, sound's very smiliar to "Machinery Item's" which was/is the cover term used by most Nation's for shipping clandestine armament's.


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## Essjay (Apr 4, 2012)

chadburn said:


> I wonder what the "Steel Equipment" was exactly, sound's very smiliar to "Machinery Item's" which was/is the cover term used by most Nation's for shipping clandestine armament's.


AK's and RPG's etc


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

China was supplying Iran with Silkworm missiles in the 1980's.


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## Essjay (Apr 4, 2012)

Andrew Craig-Bennett said:


> China was supplying Iran with Silkworm missiles in the 1980's.


'And'Not forgeting the drugs trade...(Smoke)


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## Oz. (Sep 6, 2005)

We dont know what the cargo was so why the suppositions? Lets just be grateful and appreciative that some hard working fellow seamen were freed. Leave the rest till later when(if) more facts become known.


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

Nanjing Ocean Shipping (NASCO) have a fleet of around thirty, mostly tweendeckers and small bulkers. 

They are not a part of the China Ocean Shipping (COSCO) Group - our ships carry British anti-piracy guards when in this area (and we read the sanctions legislation very carefully indeed - given the size of our US operations, we have far too much at stake to take any chances).


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

Oddly, the recapture of the ship has not yet been made public in China. I hope there was no loss of life.


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## China hand (Sep 11, 2008)

Oz. said:


> We dont know what the cargo was so why the suppositions? Lets just be grateful and appreciative that some hard working fellow seamen were freed. Leave the rest till later when(if) more facts become known.


Yup, and if the Iranians give the pirates the same treatment as blasphemers, job done.


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

I reckon nine Somalis are doing a great deal of praying and have already decided that the Shia view of Islam has more merit than they thought two days ago...

Still no news of the recapture in China - I do really hope that the crew are all OK, as this sort of official silence is usually connected with bad news, and the recapture is surely good news.


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## Alan Rawlinson (Dec 11, 2008)

*how to treat maritime high jackers*

It just makes me mad and sad how we ( the UK) pussyfoot around in a similar situation.


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## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

at least the Iranians did the job, and rapidly, would hate to be one of those pirates, really fell into the wrong hands.


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

It is now reported within China that all the crew of 28 are safe.


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## John Dryden (Sep 26, 2009)

That,s good news Andrew.
I was wondering,do you know if Iran has a decent size merchant fleet these days?


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

John Dryden said:


> That,s good news Andrew.
> I was wondering,do you know if Iran has a decent size merchant fleet these days?


There are two answers to that question, John!

"Officially" - no.

"Unofficially" - yes. 

IRISL are subject to sanctions and officially are not operating; those of an inquisitive turn of mind may have a lot of fun tracing their fleet, which has passed into the hands of numerous shell companies but which has NOT disappeared into a puff of blue smoke.

NITC at the moment are allowed to operate and are operating. Until the last elections in Iran they used the same British armed guards that we do. However there are moves to impose sanctions on them too.


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