Taipei - Somali pirates have released a Taiwan fishing boat and its 28 crew after eight months in captivity, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
The Tai Yuan 227 sailed into the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, after it was released, the ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan's trade office in India has sent staff members to Colombo to meet the crew, it said.
The boat was seized by Somali pirates on May 6 while sailing west of the Maldives. The trawler's captain is a Chinese mainlander while the crew hail from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya and Mozambique.
During its captivity, Somali pirates changed the name of the Tai Yuan 227 and used it as a mothership to launch attacks on other foreign ships with smaller craft, the ministry said.
The statement did not mention any payment, but Somali pirates seldom release hijacked vessels without receiving ransom.
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