Armed men seize Vietnamese-registered vessel off Basilan, abduct 6 crewmen

Unidentified armed men seized a Vietnamese-registered ship heading towards Davao and abducted six of its crewmembers, the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command said Friday.

Westmincom spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said the seajacking incident occurred around 5 a.m. at the vicinity of Coco Island in Basilan Strait.

Tan said they received the report at 8:45 a.m., which said that an MV Royal 16, a Vietnam flag ship, was boarded by an unidentified number of armed men.

"Reportedly, the ship was boarded by unidentified number of armed men. Reported 5 crew members were abducted and kidnappers heading towards unknown direction onboard speedboat," Tan said.

A report by the Philippine Coast Guard said that at least one kidnap victim was wounded.

Among those abducted were the ship captain and the chief mate, officials said.

The military has already deployed its sea and naval assets for search and rescue operations, Tan said.  — Jessica Bartolome/RSJ, GMA News