17 RP seafarers released, but 91 others remain in Somalia

Data collected by GMANews.TVMANILA, Philippines - Seventeen Filipino seafarers who have been held captive by Somali pirates for 78 days were finally released on Monday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.

The 19-man crew of the MV Captain Stephanos, a Greek-owned, Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier, were kidnapped by Somali pirates last September 21 as the ship was cruising in the Gulf of Aden.

"All the crew members are reported to be in good health," DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal said.

The vessel is now en route to Italy before going to Greece.

This latest development brings to 91 the total number of Filipino seafarers, on board six vessels, that are still held captive by Somali pirates.

Filipino seafarers who have been recently released had told GMANews.TV that their Somali captors locked them up inside the hijacked vessels and were not fed well.

Somali pirates often loot the seafarers' belongings but take no interest in the ship's cargo. Engineer Nelson Ramirez, president of the Manila-based United Filipino Seafarer's group, earlier said the sea bandits profit from the million-dollar ransom money paid by the ship owners.

In response to the surge in pirate hijackings in the Gulf of Aden area, several countries have deployed warships to the Gulf of Aden to help curb attacks.

Last September, warships from the US Navy's 5th Fleet forced pirates to abandon a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other weaponry that they seized Sept. 25 off the Somali coast. - GMANews.TV

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