Somali pirates seize cargo ship with 4 Pinoy crewmen

MANILA, Philippines –  Four Filipinos were among the crewmen of a Danish-owned cargo ship seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden last Jan. 12, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said the latest hijacking was confirmed by the local manning agency that deployed the seafarers to Leopard, a 2,000-ton cargo ship.

Pirates boarded Leopard off the coast of Oman. They also seized two other Danish crewmembers.

The DFA cited reports that the pirates abandoned the ship, believed to be carrying “sensitive cargo,” but the Turkish Navy later located the vessel.

The local manning agency has informed the seafarers’ families of the incident.

To date, there are 113 Filipino seafarers onboard 11 vessels held captive by pirates.

The Philippine government has undertaken measures to minimize the exposure of Filipino seafarers to piracy attacks, including making arrangements with ship principals and manning agencies for vessels to travel along a safety corridor patrolled by friendly foreign navies, and taking up the issue of maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean before the United Nations and other international organizations.

The government also deployed last year a naval liaison officer with the combined maritime fleet in Manama, Bahrain, which coordinates navy patrols.

The DFA and the Department of Labor and Employment are closely coordinating with Philippine embassies, the ships’ principals and the local manning agencies to secure the early and safe release of kidnapped Filipino seafarers.

Meantime, the Japanese embassy in Manila said the Japan Self-Defense Force has been escorting foreign and Japan vessels passing the Gulf of Aden to protect these against pirates, benefiting a big number of Filipinos.

Following the entry into force of “The Laws on Punishment of and Measures against Act of Piracy” on July 24, 2009, the Japan Self-Defense Force has started its operations in the Gulf of Aden escorting not only Japanese vessels but also all foreign vessels. 

“Since then, 1,394 vessels with various national flags have benefited from the escort operations,” a statement issued by the Japanese embassy said.

After about 17 months of operations, the defense force released a summary of escorted vessels of the Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft.

The legislation enables the Japan Self-Defense Force to protect vessels from acts of piracy regardless of their nationality, complementing other efforts made globally to ensure safe passage for ships in response to the rampant acts of piracy and hijacking occurring off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. 

Japan’s Maritime Bureau under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is now receiving applications from various maritime-related organizations/officers such as ship operators, ship owners/managers from around the world for escort assistance and safe passage of ships.