Filipino seafarers being held by Somali pirates rise to 80
MANILA, Philippines — The abduction on Wednesday midnight of 26 Filipino crew of a Greek-owned freighter off Somalia has brought the total number of Filipinos being held captive by pirates in the Horn of Africa to 80, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.
The latest 26 victims belong to the MT Centauri, a Greek-owned, Maltese-flagged freighter, the DFA said.
DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal said the crew "are safe and unharmed" and that the Philippine embassies in Athens and Nairobi, Kenya are under instructions to coordinate with ship owners and international maritime authorities on efforts to secure the safe release of the Filipinos.
Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau said the ship was en route to Kenya when it was attacked off Somalia's eastern coast.
He said the Centauri was the 13th ship seized in the notorious African waters in the past two months.
Of the number, seven ships had Filipinos among their crew, but one of these had been released apparently after ransom was paid by its owner.
The six ships with Filipino crew that are still being held for ransom are:
● MV Stella Maris, a Japanese-owned bulk carrier with a 20 all-Filipino crew, seized July 20;
● MT Bunga Melati Dua, a Malaysian chemical tanker, manned by10 Filipinos and 29 Malaysians, seized August 19. One of the ten Filipinos died accidentally when the ship was hijacked;
● MT Irene, a Japanese-owned tanker with 16 Filipinos and four other foreign nationals, seized August 21;
● MT Bunga Melati 5, a Malaysian tanker with five Filipinos and 31 other foreign nationals, seized August 29;
● MT Stolt Valor, a Hong Kong chemical tanker with two Filipinos and 31 other nationals, seized on Sept. 15.
● MV Centauri, a Greek-owned tanker with a 26 all-Filipino crew, seized on September 17.
The DFA and International Maritime Bureau had earlier reported that nine Filipino crew of the BBC Trinidad, a German-owned container vessel hijacked off Somalia on August 21, were all released along with four other foreign nationals and their ship.
While the DFA recorded the total number of Filipino seamen currently being held at 80, including the body of the dead MT Bunga Melati Dua crew member, records compiled from the DFA’s own reports showed only 79.
IMB;s Noel Choong said the latest incident showed that Somali pirates, who were previously operating off the country's northern coast in the Gulf of Aden, have to begun to attack ships in the east.
A multinational naval force patrolling the area has been informed, and ships have been warned to stay clear of Somalia's coast, he said.
"We advise ships to stay at least 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the coast and even then, they must maintain a strict watch," Choong said.
The latest incident brings to 55 the number of attacks on ships off the coast Somalia this year, most of which occurred in the Gulf of Aden. The surge if attacks has prompted the US Naval Central Command to establish a security corridor patrolled by an international coalition of warships.
The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. Pirates there are often trained fighters, many of them dressed in military fatigues and typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades.
In 2007, the IMB recorded 263 incidents of piracy and armed attacks on ships worldwide, including 43 in Indonesia, 42 in Nigeria and 31 in Somalia. Compared to the same period in 2006, the IMB noted a 10 percent increase in the reported cases of pirate attacks in high seas.
Firm on proposed ban
NUMBERS
266, 533 – Philippine Overseas Employment Agency’s tally of Filipino seafarers deployed all over the globe in 2007.
120 - Number of reported pirate attacks in African waters last year, based on IMB data.
80 – Number of Filipinos that are still held captive by Somali pirates as of September 18.
10th - The Philippines' ranking in the most pirate-prone areas in the world, according to the IMB.
9 - Number of Filipino seafarers freed by pirates last September 12.
7 - Number of Filipino-manned attacked ships - including one with the freed Filipino crew - since July 2008.
In view of the continuing hijackings, Esteban Conejos Jr., DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, told GMANews.TV that the department is still determined to push for a deployment ban in Somali waters with the recent spate of pirate abductions.
"We have proposed that the Department of Labor and Employment and the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency adopt measures aimed at preventing Filipino seamen from being deployed on ships plying pirate-infested routes, such as those near Somalia," Conejos said.
"The DFA proposal stands. It is for the consideration and decision of the POEA governing board," he added.
The proposal has been branded as impractical by manpower agencies, who warned that it could discourage shipping companies from hiring Filipino seafarers.
Nelson Ramirez, president of the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS), said the high number of Filipinos being abducted in high seas is not at all surprising since the global shipping industry’s dependence on Philippine overseas labor makes Filipino seafarers more prone to abduction than any other nationals in the world.
Filipino seafarers, who make up one-third of the world's shipping crew, are more prone to pirate abductions than any nationality in the world. (Click link for related story.)
In 2007, the POEA data showed that about 266, 533 Filipino seafarers left the country for work overseas. - GMANews.TV with AP reports
The latest 26 victims belong to the MT Centauri, a Greek-owned, Maltese-flagged freighter, the DFA said.
DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal said the crew "are safe and unharmed" and that the Philippine embassies in Athens and Nairobi, Kenya are under instructions to coordinate with ship owners and international maritime authorities on efforts to secure the safe release of the Filipinos.
Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau said the ship was en route to Kenya when it was attacked off Somalia's eastern coast.
He said the Centauri was the 13th ship seized in the notorious African waters in the past two months.
Of the number, seven ships had Filipinos among their crew, but one of these had been released apparently after ransom was paid by its owner.
The six ships with Filipino crew that are still being held for ransom are:
● MV Stella Maris, a Japanese-owned bulk carrier with a 20 all-Filipino crew, seized July 20;
● MT Bunga Melati Dua, a Malaysian chemical tanker, manned by10 Filipinos and 29 Malaysians, seized August 19. One of the ten Filipinos died accidentally when the ship was hijacked;
● MT Irene, a Japanese-owned tanker with 16 Filipinos and four other foreign nationals, seized August 21;
● MT Bunga Melati 5, a Malaysian tanker with five Filipinos and 31 other foreign nationals, seized August 29;
● MT Stolt Valor, a Hong Kong chemical tanker with two Filipinos and 31 other nationals, seized on Sept. 15.
● MV Centauri, a Greek-owned tanker with a 26 all-Filipino crew, seized on September 17.
The DFA and International Maritime Bureau had earlier reported that nine Filipino crew of the BBC Trinidad, a German-owned container vessel hijacked off Somalia on August 21, were all released along with four other foreign nationals and their ship.
While the DFA recorded the total number of Filipino seamen currently being held at 80, including the body of the dead MT Bunga Melati Dua crew member, records compiled from the DFA’s own reports showed only 79.
IMB;s Noel Choong said the latest incident showed that Somali pirates, who were previously operating off the country's northern coast in the Gulf of Aden, have to begun to attack ships in the east.
A multinational naval force patrolling the area has been informed, and ships have been warned to stay clear of Somalia's coast, he said.
"We advise ships to stay at least 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the coast and even then, they must maintain a strict watch," Choong said.
The latest incident brings to 55 the number of attacks on ships off the coast Somalia this year, most of which occurred in the Gulf of Aden. The surge if attacks has prompted the US Naval Central Command to establish a security corridor patrolled by an international coalition of warships.
The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. Pirates there are often trained fighters, many of them dressed in military fatigues and typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades.
In 2007, the IMB recorded 263 incidents of piracy and armed attacks on ships worldwide, including 43 in Indonesia, 42 in Nigeria and 31 in Somalia. Compared to the same period in 2006, the IMB noted a 10 percent increase in the reported cases of pirate attacks in high seas.
Firm on proposed ban
NUMBERS
266, 533 – Philippine Overseas Employment Agency’s tally of Filipino seafarers deployed all over the globe in 2007.
120 - Number of reported pirate attacks in African waters last year, based on IMB data.
80 – Number of Filipinos that are still held captive by Somali pirates as of September 18.
10th - The Philippines' ranking in the most pirate-prone areas in the world, according to the IMB.
9 - Number of Filipino seafarers freed by pirates last September 12.
7 - Number of Filipino-manned attacked ships - including one with the freed Filipino crew - since July 2008.
In view of the continuing hijackings, Esteban Conejos Jr., DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, told GMANews.TV that the department is still determined to push for a deployment ban in Somali waters with the recent spate of pirate abductions.
"We have proposed that the Department of Labor and Employment and the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency adopt measures aimed at preventing Filipino seamen from being deployed on ships plying pirate-infested routes, such as those near Somalia," Conejos said.
"The DFA proposal stands. It is for the consideration and decision of the POEA governing board," he added.
The proposal has been branded as impractical by manpower agencies, who warned that it could discourage shipping companies from hiring Filipino seafarers.
Nelson Ramirez, president of the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS), said the high number of Filipinos being abducted in high seas is not at all surprising since the global shipping industry’s dependence on Philippine overseas labor makes Filipino seafarers more prone to abduction than any other nationals in the world.
Filipino seafarers, who make up one-third of the world's shipping crew, are more prone to pirate abductions than any nationality in the world. (Click link for related story.)
In 2007, the POEA data showed that about 266, 533 Filipino seafarers left the country for work overseas. - GMANews.TV with AP reports
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