After Pinoy abductions, ships warned against 2 vessels in Somali waters

MARK JOSEPH H. UBALDE, GMANews.TV

The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Photo from WikipediaMANILA, Philippines - Coming on the heels of the abduction of 26 Filipino seafarers in Somalia, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) warned all ships crossing the Gulf of Aden to look out for two suspicious vessels believed to be used in piracy.

The IMB, a non-profit making organization, which fights against all types of maritime crime and malpractice, advised ship officers to "maintain a strict visual and radar watch" when passing through the Gulf of Aden.

"The description of the suspected trawlers - long white, Russian made stern trawlers with names 'BURUM OCEAN or ARENA or ATHENA'," posted the IMB in its website.

It added: "One of the trawlers is believed to be operating at approximately 60 NM NE of Bossasso, Somalia in the Gulf of Aden."

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday night said that two tankers with Filipino crew members were hijacked on August 19.

The palm oil-laden tanker MT Bunga Melati 2, owned and operated by MISC Berhad of Malaysia, has 39 crewmen, including 10 Filipino seamen.

Meanwhile, the chemical tanker MT Irene, a Panama-flag and operated by Japan’s Koyo Company, has 19 crewmen including 16 Filipino seamen. Suspected pirates seized the tanker on Thursday. Two other ships were hijacked on the same day.

The international community has urged the Somalian government to heighten measures to protect vessels transiting off the coast of Somalia to prevent future hijackings and piracy.

According to the IMB, in 2006, there were 239 attacks in high seas where 77 crew members were kidnapped and 188 taken hostage but only 15 of the pirate attacks resulted in murder.

In 2007 however, the attacks rose by 10% to 263 attacks while there was a 35% increase on reported attacks involving guns.

The impoverished country of Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and foreign vessels are frequently seized for ransom by pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and automatic weapons, making it difficult and expensive to deliver aid to the region.

In June, the U.N. Security Council voted to allow international warships to enter Somali waters to combat the problem. But its 1,880-mile coastline — the longest in Africa — remains virtually unpoliced. - GMANews.TV

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