Armed pirates seize 26 Pinoy seamen in 2 ships off Somalia

FIDEL JIMENEZ, GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday night said at least 26 Filipino seamen have been seized by gunmen in the Gulf of Aden off north Somalia in a series of attacks as an international maritime body urged the United Nations to restore law and order to the notorious African waters.

In a text message to GMANews.TV, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr, citing the reports from Philippine Embassy in Nairobi and local manning agencies, said the Filipinos are among the crewmen of two ships recently hijacked by suspected Somali pirates.

The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Conejos said that palm oil-laden tanker MT Bunga Melati 2, owned and operated by MISC Berhad of Malaysia, has 39 crewmen, including 10 Filipino seamen. The DFA official said MT Bunga Melati 2 was hijacked on August 19.

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.

The message added that the DFA has instructed the Philippine Embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Nairobi to coordinate with the ship owners, international maritime authorities and host government on safe and speedy release of all crewmembers.

The Associated Press later Thursday reported that pirates also seized a German ship off the coast of Somalia, the third hijacking in a day.

Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau told AP that the German-operated cargo ship was seized at about 0900 GMT Thursday in the Gulf of Aden off the Somalian coast.

He said the hijacking occurred hours after a Japanese-operated tanker and an Iranian ship off the coast of Somalia were hijacked in the same area.

Choong said three hijackings in a day "is unheard of."

So far seven ships have been hijacked in the important African shipping lane since June 20.

Choong, who heads IMB's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, strongly urged the United Nations "to take serious action to stop this menace."

Choong said there has been no communication so far with any of the hijacked vessels.

But a multi-coalition naval force in the area has been informed and is "taking action." The naval force includes the United States, France, Germany, Pakistan, Britain and Canada, which currently holds the rotating command.

The IMB also issued an urgent warning to all ships in the Gulf of Aden to maintain a strict watch.

Choong said pirates seized a Japanese-owned cargo ship with 20 Filipino sailors on July 20 in the gulf. A Nigerian vessel was later hijacked followed by a Thai cargo ship with 28 crew members earlier this month.

Pirates in all of those cases demanded ransom for the release of the crews, and negotiations are continuing, he said.

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/ AP

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