Use of Force

Law of the Sea

A coal-laden Chinese cargo ship with 25 crew members was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, about 700 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. As Chinese naval vessels steamed towards the ship, a Defence Ministry official said China would not rule out the use of force to rescue the Chinese crew.

On 28 December 2009, a FM spokesman announced that the hijacked ship and crew had been released, reportedly after paying US$4 million in ransom.