Pirates hijack 21 Filipino seafarers

MANILA, Philippines—Two ships with 21 Filipino seafarers on board had been hijacked April 6 by suspected Somali pirates off Seychelles and Madagascar, the Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed.

This brings the number of Filipino seafarers in captivity to 117 in seven vessels.

In a press statement, the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary of Migrants’ Workers Affairs (OUMWA) said Win Far 161 has 17 Filipino seafarers while M/V Malaspina Castle has four.

OUMWA said the local manning agency of M/V Malaspina Castle is working
on the release of the vessel and its crew, whose families have been informed of the incident.

On the other hand, it said, the local manning agency of Win Far 161 is still verifying information from its principal.

“The Philippine government continues to coordinate closely with concerned foreign governmental authorities and the local manning agencies of the captured vessels for the early and safe release of the Filipino seafarers,” the DFA said.

Over the past several weeks, there has been a surge of hijackings by suspected Somali pirates farther away from Somalia.

Piracy has been a major problem in the Gulf of Aden, a major trade route between Asia and Europe, for the past couple of years, prompting the international community to work together patrolling the area.

The United Nations even allowed police action inside the land territory of Somalia against the pirates. - Veronica Uy, INQUIRER.net, April 09, 2009