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Pinoy Abroad
10 Pinoy sailors abducted by Somali pirates
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The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday said 10 Filipino sailors were among those abducted by Somali pirates from a sea vessel near the Gulf of Aden on March 26. DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the sailors were among the 23 crew members of mixed nationalities of MV Eglantine, a Cypriot-flagged, Iranian-owned vessel. Hernandez said the ship was hijacked off the southwestern coast of India, about 1,000 nautical miles East from the Gulf of Aden. The vessel’s principal, KISH Shipping, is based in Tehran and has already coordinated with the local manning agency in the Philippines. The local agency said the families of the Filipino crew members were already informed about the incident.
The DFA has instructed the Philippine embassies in Nairobi and Manama to monitor to situation. The embassies were also told to coordinate with the Combined Maritime Forces, as well as the Philippine Embassy in Tehran in keeping track of the negotiations being undertaken by the vessel’s principal with the pirates.
"Our cisis management [team] in Sanaa, Yemen is getting in touch with Yemen authorities (Ministry of Foreign affairs, Ministry of Interior and Maritime Security) Philippine honorary consul in Marib, their employer, and Filipino leaders to verify the report and ascertain their identities," DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text message on March 23.
"Our team will meet with concerned government officials to ensure the safe and early release of the hostages," he added.
A report of the news site Khaleej Times on March 22 said the sailors were seized as they were about to embark on their ship at a port in the far-eastern province of Mahrah.
The kidnappers, who belong to the Bani Jabr tribe, demanded the “release of one of their own, who is in prison in Sanaa for a serious criminal offense,” the interior ministry of Yemen said.
No details were provided yet about the identity of the sailors nor about the company they are working for.
The report said the Filipinos were forced to travel by land as a sand storm cancelled flights.
The interior ministry said security forces were ordered to “quickly free the hostages and arrest their kidnappers.”
The report quoted a Yemeni security official as saying “the kidnapping bears the hallmark of Al-Qaeda.”
Khaleej Times said more than 200 people have been abducted in Yemen over the past 15 years.
Many of the kidnapping victims belonged to the country’s powerful tribes.
The kidnappers reportedly use them as bargaining chips to achieve their demands.
The report said almost all of the kidnapped victims were later freed unharmed. Kidnapping victims
The DFA in January this year said 769 Filipino sailors aboard 63 vessels have been held captive since 2006, mostly in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia.
An earlier report on Somalia-based news site Somalia Report had described the MV Eglantine as a Bolivian-flagged and Iranian-owned cargo ship.
Somalia Report said the ship was attacked and hijacked about 460 nautical miles west-southwest of Cape Comorin.
"The latest hijack brings the total number of commercial vessels being held by pirates to 11. Pirates are also using 13 hijacked fishing dhows as motherships," it said.
Other Pinoy sailors in distress On March 20, three Filipino sailors were abducted by Yemeni tribesmen to demand for the release of a jailed colleague. The latest kidnapping incident brings to at least 57 the number of Filipino seamen being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
The Philippine government does not negotiate nor pay ransom to kidnappers but gives ship owners the free hand in negotiating for the release of abducted sailors.
"Our cisis management [team] in Sanaa, Yemen is getting in touch with Yemen authorities (Ministry of Foreign affairs, Ministry of Interior and Maritime Security) Philippine honorary consul in Marib, their employer, and Filipino leaders to verify the report and ascertain their identities," DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text message on March 23.
"Our team will meet with concerned government officials to ensure the safe and early release of the hostages," he added.
A report of the news site Khaleej Times on March 22 said the sailors were seized as they were about to embark on their ship at a port in the far-eastern province of Mahrah.
The kidnappers, who belong to the Bani Jabr tribe, demanded the “release of one of their own, who is in prison in Sanaa for a serious criminal offense,” the interior ministry of Yemen said.
No details were provided yet about the identity of the sailors nor about the company they are working for.
The report said the Filipinos were forced to travel by land as a sand storm cancelled flights.
The interior ministry said security forces were ordered to “quickly free the hostages and arrest their kidnappers.”
The report quoted a Yemeni security official as saying “the kidnapping bears the hallmark of Al-Qaeda.”
Khaleej Times said more than 200 people have been abducted in Yemen over the past 15 years.
Many of the kidnapping victims belonged to the country’s powerful tribes.
The kidnappers reportedly use them as bargaining chips to achieve their demands.
The report said almost all of the kidnapped victims were later freed unharmed. Kidnapping victims
The DFA in January this year said 769 Filipino sailors aboard 63 vessels have been held captive since 2006, mostly in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia.
The Philippines has been the world’s chief supplier of sailors since 1987.
Some 400,000 Filipinos comprise one-fourth of the estimated 1.5 million merchant mariners worldwide.
— VVP, GMA NewsSome 400,000 Filipinos comprise one-fourth of the estimated 1.5 million merchant mariners worldwide.
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