35 Filipino seamen freed by Somali pirates to arrive home

MANILA, Philippines - Thirty five of the 37 Filipino seafarers who were released by Somali pirates will be arriving in Manila this week, according to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Fifteen of them from the hijacked Japanese-operated chemical tanker M/T Irene will arrive on Thursday (October 16) via Cathay Pacific flight CX919. The 15 were freed last October 8, or 49 days after they were abducted in the Gulf of Aden.

Meanwhile, 20 others from the MV Stella Maris will arrive on Saturday (Oct. 18) via Emirates flight EK334. The 20 had been with Somali pirates for 81 days since they were abducted last July 20.

DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal said the agency had no report yet on the scheduled repatriation of two more Filipino seamen on board Iranian bulk carrier M/V Iran Deyanat, who were released last Friday.

Although a total of 37 Filipino seafarers had been released by Somali pirates in three consecutive days last week, Cristobal said the DFA still need to expedite the safe release of 45 other Filipinos who are still held by the pirates.

"We are very happy for the 37 families and their families and we wish them well. But there are 45 other Filipinos still in Somali hands," Cristobal said.

From July to September this year, a total of nine ships with 106 Filipino seafarers have been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa. Because of this, the Department of Labor and Employment declared the Gulf of Aden as a high-risk zone and ordered ship owners to double the hazard pay of Filipino seafarers crossing these areas.

The four other ships with Filipino crew on board that are still being held by pirates are:
MV Iran Deyanat, with two Filipino crew members, seized August 21;


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 26 all-Filipino crew members, seized on September 17; and


MV Capt Stephanos, Greek-owned ship, with 17 Filipino seafarers on board, seized on September 21.
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. - MARK JOSEPH H. UBALDE, GMANews.TV

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