DFA washes hands off ransom payments to Somali pirates

MANILA, Philippines - We coordinate, not negotiate. This was the stern statement of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on how it deals with the Somali kidnappings in the Gulf of Aden, where 45 Filipino seafarers remain in captivity. DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal told GMANews.TV that since the Philippine government has an existing ‘no-negotiations’ policy with kidnappers, the department’s officials only talk to the ship owners regarding the status of the Filipinos. “We don’t talk with the kidnappers. All we can do is coordinate with the ship owners," he said. Last week, three hijacked ships carrying a total of 37 Filipino seafarers were freed in three consecutive days amid rumors that the ship owners paid ransom in exchange for the crew and cargo. On October 8, 15 Filipino seamen along with four other foreign nationals of the Japanese-operated chemical tanker M/T Irene were freed around 11:30 p.m. (Manila time), 49 days after they were abducted in the Gulf of Aden. The following day, 20 more Filipino seafarers of M/V Stella Maris were finally released, 81 days since they were abducted in July 20. Last Friday, two Filipino seamen who were among the 29 crew members of the Iranian bulk carrier M/V Iran Deyanat, were released by the sea bandits after they were abducted last August 21. A representative of ship owner Beluga Shipping, owner of the BBC Trinidad which was freed last month, admitted that the company paid a ransom of about $1 million for the safe release of the ship and its crew. “For the ship owner, paying ransom was the only way," Capt. Tomas Awiszut told GMANews.TV. Engineer Nelson Ramirez, United Filipino Seafarers’ (UFS) president, disclosed that most Somali kidnappers demand between $10 million to $50 million for the return of all the crew members and the ship’s cargo. The ransom is said to be considered just a piece of cake to ship owners as they could easily demand a payment of $80 million for a single trip of a valuable. The growth of global commerce in the past two decades crowded the oceans with dry-bulk carriers and supertankers loaded with every imaginable cargo, according to Forbes.com. The world currently transports 80 percent of all international freight by sea. Forbes said more than 10 million cargo containers are moving across the world's oceans at any one time. According to the International Maritime Bureau, container ships are the most vulnerable to pirates in 2007, followed by general cargo vessels, bulk carriers, product tankers, tankers, and chemical tankers. Pirate attacks hamper the exchange of goods and materials. Most of the vessels being attacked by sea bandits carry with them valuable commodities including oil, coal, food, and supplies. “It is very costly for ship owners to lose their ships and it is very damaging to their reputation to lose their seafarers," Ramirez said. “So most of them just give in and pay." Bittersweet 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 particularly in the Gulf of Aden, an important waterway for cargo ships. Athough a total of 37 Filipino seafarers had been released by Somali pirates, Cristobal said the government has yet to breath a sigh of relief as 45 others remain captive in the Horn of Africa. "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. "Not until they're safely released and the hijackings are effectively stopped could we heave a sigh of relief," he added. The Philippines supply 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. - GMANews.TV