Two Pinoy crew of German ship freed in Somalia
Two Filipino crew of a German container vessel were freed Monday night by Somali pirates after 121 days in captivity, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
The DFA confirmed that the two seafarers on board the MV Hansa Stavanger were "well and in good condition."
"The vessel is now on its way to Dubai, United Arab Emirates," said the DFA, quoting a report by the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, which has jurisdiction over Somalia.
The number of Filipino seafarers still in the custody of Somali pirates is down to 42, in three vessels, following the release of Hansa Stavanger, the DFA added.
Hansa Stavanger and its crew of two Filipinos, one German, three Russians and two Ukrainians were captured 400 miles (670 kilometers) off the southern Somali port of Kismayu on April 4.
Morten Gramberg, a European Union naval spokesperson, told the Associated Press that the pirates have pocketed money in exchange for the release of the vessel. Gramberg, however, refused to disclose the exact amount that the shipowners gave.
Engineer Nelson Ramirez, president of the United Filipino Seafarers, told GMANews.TV that paying ransom is not new for shipowners who brave their ships in crossing pirate-ridden areas near the Horn of Africa.
In fact, Ramirez said that piracy has become an attractive industry in Somalia.
"It's now easy for people there to suddenly have three families to feed," Ramirez said.
Ramirez earlier said that shipowners could easily fork out multi-million dollars in ransom considering that a single ship would contain as much as $90-million in cargo alone.
The UFS president admitted that sheer force won't push shipowners to give up their captive ships. "The important thing is to have a trained and experienced Philippine negotiator there in Somalia to keep our seafarers safe."
SHIP TERROR. Pirates guard the crew of the Chinese fishing vessel FV Tianyu 8 as it sails across the Indian Ocean in this photo taken by the US Navy late last year. Three Filipino seafarers wee on board the ship. The ship has since been freed. The Philippines supplies one-third of the world’s shipping manpower with about 270,000 Filipino seamen employed by foreign maritime agencies, making them the most vulnerable and prone to pirate attacks. [See: Pirates of the Somalian waters: Curse of the Filipino seafarers]
The number of Filipino seafarers being held hostage in Somalia have constantly yo-yoed as pirates continuously hijack ships passing through the Gulf of Aden, slowly releasing vessels only after ship owners willingly pay multi-million dollar ransom.
The Philippine government has issued a deployment ban on vessels carrying Filipino seafarers that would pass through the Gulf of Aden, which has seen a rise in piracy attacks in recent months.
In 2008, a total of 117 Filipino seamen on board 11 ships were seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden alone. All have been freed eventually.
This year, Somali pirates also seized 233 Filipinos on board 16 vessels. Forty-two remain in pirates’ hand.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 44 ships were seized by pirates in 2008 in various parts of the world, while more than 600 seafarers were kidnapped and held for ransom.
Boom towns
But piracy has already transformed the coastal towns of Somalia into vibrant boom towns, as ship owners willingly pay multi-million dollar ransom to bail out their ship and crew.
In northern coastal towns like Harardhere, Eyl and Bossaso, the pirate economy is thriving thanks to the money pouring in from pirate ransoms that have reached $30 million this year alone, the Associated Press said in a report.
"There are more shops, and business is booming because of the piracy," Sugule Dahir, who runs a clothing shop in Eyl, told the AP in a report. "Internet cafes and telephone shops have opened, and people are just happier than before."
A representative of ship owner Beluga Shipping, owner of the BBC Trinidad which was freed last September, admitted that the company paid ransom for the safe release of the ship, including nine Filipino seafarers.
“For the ship owner, paying ransom was the only way," Capt. Tomas Awiszut said. - GMANews.TV
The DFA confirmed that the two seafarers on board the MV Hansa Stavanger were "well and in good condition."
"The vessel is now on its way to Dubai, United Arab Emirates," said the DFA, quoting a report by the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, which has jurisdiction over Somalia.
The number of Filipino seafarers still in the custody of Somali pirates is down to 42, in three vessels, following the release of Hansa Stavanger, the DFA added.
Hansa Stavanger and its crew of two Filipinos, one German, three Russians and two Ukrainians were captured 400 miles (670 kilometers) off the southern Somali port of Kismayu on April 4.
Morten Gramberg, a European Union naval spokesperson, told the Associated Press that the pirates have pocketed money in exchange for the release of the vessel. Gramberg, however, refused to disclose the exact amount that the shipowners gave.
Engineer Nelson Ramirez, president of the United Filipino Seafarers, told GMANews.TV that paying ransom is not new for shipowners who brave their ships in crossing pirate-ridden areas near the Horn of Africa.
In fact, Ramirez said that piracy has become an attractive industry in Somalia.
"It's now easy for people there to suddenly have three families to feed," Ramirez said.
Ramirez earlier said that shipowners could easily fork out multi-million dollars in ransom considering that a single ship would contain as much as $90-million in cargo alone.
The UFS president admitted that sheer force won't push shipowners to give up their captive ships. "The important thing is to have a trained and experienced Philippine negotiator there in Somalia to keep our seafarers safe."
SHIP TERROR. Pirates guard the crew of the Chinese fishing vessel FV Tianyu 8 as it sails across the Indian Ocean in this photo taken by the US Navy late last year. Three Filipino seafarers wee on board the ship. The ship has since been freed. The Philippines supplies one-third of the world’s shipping manpower with about 270,000 Filipino seamen employed by foreign maritime agencies, making them the most vulnerable and prone to pirate attacks. [See: Pirates of the Somalian waters: Curse of the Filipino seafarers]
The number of Filipino seafarers being held hostage in Somalia have constantly yo-yoed as pirates continuously hijack ships passing through the Gulf of Aden, slowly releasing vessels only after ship owners willingly pay multi-million dollar ransom.
The Philippine government has issued a deployment ban on vessels carrying Filipino seafarers that would pass through the Gulf of Aden, which has seen a rise in piracy attacks in recent months.
In 2008, a total of 117 Filipino seamen on board 11 ships were seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden alone. All have been freed eventually.
This year, Somali pirates also seized 233 Filipinos on board 16 vessels. Forty-two remain in pirates’ hand.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 44 ships were seized by pirates in 2008 in various parts of the world, while more than 600 seafarers were kidnapped and held for ransom.
Boom towns
But piracy has already transformed the coastal towns of Somalia into vibrant boom towns, as ship owners willingly pay multi-million dollar ransom to bail out their ship and crew.
In northern coastal towns like Harardhere, Eyl and Bossaso, the pirate economy is thriving thanks to the money pouring in from pirate ransoms that have reached $30 million this year alone, the Associated Press said in a report.
"There are more shops, and business is booming because of the piracy," Sugule Dahir, who runs a clothing shop in Eyl, told the AP in a report. "Internet cafes and telephone shops have opened, and people are just happier than before."
A representative of ship owner Beluga Shipping, owner of the BBC Trinidad which was freed last September, admitted that the company paid ransom for the safe release of the ship, including nine Filipino seafarers.
“For the ship owner, paying ransom was the only way," Capt. Tomas Awiszut said. - GMANews.TV
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