14 Pinoy sailors of hijacked Greek tanker now back in PHL


The 14 Filipino crewmen of a Greek tanker hijacked by ransom-seeking pirates off Somalia last year have returned home to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.
 
Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said the local manning agency of MT Smyrni crew informed the DFA that the Filipinos arrived in Manila on March 19 on board a Philippine Airlines flight.
 
MT Smyrni and its 26 crew members of mixed nationalities were seized by Somali pirates on May 10, 2012 and were released last March 9.
 
After its release, the vessel sailed to the port of Salalah in Oman, where they were provided assistance by Philippine embassy officials, counseling and medical treatment, Hernandez told a press briefing.
 
There are still nine Filipino seafarers from two vessels being held captive by pirates in Somalia, Hernandez said.  
 
The Philippines is one of the world’s largest providers of shipping manpower in the world.
 
A bulk of Filipino seamen or more than 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 million sailors are manning oil tankers, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks.
 
Piracy and ransom kidnappings of Filipino sailors by Somali pirates in the dangerous Somali waters, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, have long been a problem for the Philippine government as they lack the capacity to monitor their movements when at sea. - Michaela del Callar, VVP, GMA News

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