New tactics against pirates

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China says it will spare no efforts to rescue its hijacked bulk carrier. The cargo vessel was hijacked during its passage from South Africa to India. The EU's naval force says the ship is heading to the Somali coast.

Piracy has been rampant off the coast of Somalia in recent years. The illicit activity has prompted a dozen nations including China to send naval fleets to the Gulf of Aden on escort missions. A senior official from the Defense Ministry said the department is working on new tactics to counter piracy.

Qian Lihua, Director of Foreign Affairs Office of Defense Ministry, said, "We are now promoting new tactics. One of these includes dividing the defensive area into individual blocks, so troops can move more quickly. It also reduces the level of threats."

Hijacked Chinese bulk carrier De Xin Hai is seen in this picture published  on the European Union Naval Force Operation Against Piracy website and  taken October 19, 2009 by an EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft off the  East coast of Somalia. Pirates from Somalia who hijacked the bulk carrier  in the Indian Ocean threatened on Tuesday to execute its 25 Chinese crew members if any rescue operation was attempted. The De Xin Hai was carrying  about 76,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa to India when it was seized  by gunmen on Monday some 700 nautical miles east of the failed Horn of  Africa state.