17 Filipino seamen abducted by pirates in Somalia - DFA

MARK JOSEPH H. UBALDE, GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - Seventeen Filipino seafarers on board a Greek-owned bulk carrier were kidnapped by Somali pirates on March 19, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday. This development brings to 71 the total number of Filipinos held by the pirates since November last year.

DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya told GMANews.TV that the MV Titan, a St. Vincent-flagged ship with 24 men on board, was en route to South Korea when it was hijacked by Somali pirates in the troubled Gulf of Aden.

"The DFA instructed the Philippine embassy in Nairobi to coordinate with proper authorities concerning the safety and well-being of the seamen," Malaya said.

Reports from the Philippine Embassy in Kenya said that aside from the 17 Filipinos, three Greeks, three Romanians, and one Ukranian seamen were also aboard the ship.

Data from the DFA showed that aside from the MV Titan, three other vessels with 54 Filipinos remain anchored in Somalia.

The other vessels hijacked by Somali pirates include the MV Stolt Strength (with 23 Filipinos), MT Longchamp (with 12 Filipinos), and a previously unreported MV Saldanha (hijacked last Feb. 22 with 19 Filipinos).

The MV Stolt Strength, which was hijacked last Nov. 10, has been in the hands of Somali pirates for 133 days.

Third ship

MV Titan is the third ship predominantly manned by Filipinos that was hijacked by Somali pirates this year.

Last year, 208 Filipinos on board 17 vessels were kidnapped by pirates in the Horn of Africa.

Somali pirates are known to demand ransom from shipowners in exchange for the release of their vessels, including crewmen and valuable cargoes. The Philippine government, however, won't confirm any exchange of money between shipowners and pirates.

The government maintains that it does not talk directly with the kidnappers but merely coordinates efforts to expedite the safe release of the Filipino seamen. - GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more