A Taiwan fishing vessel hijacked by Somalia pirates last year has been picked up by mainland naval escort ships in the Gulf of Aden, mainland authorities said Friday.

The tuna longliner Win Far 161 was picked up on Thursday afternoon after its shipowner sent out message for help to the mainland shipowner association on Monday.

The mainland naval escort ships promised to do their best to satisfy their needs of living necessities and fuel oils, as well as escort them to a safe sea area.

The vessel had been hijacked by pirates off the cost of Somalia on April 6, 2009. Of its 30-strong crew, its skipper and first engineer are from Taiwan, while five others are mainlanders, six are Indonesian and 17 are Filipinos.