Pinoys now in hands of Somali pirates hit 127

(Updated 3:29 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - A total of 127 Filipino seafarers are now held captive by Somali pirates as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed the latest abduction of 19 seamen from the hijacked MV Sirius Star last Saturday. Executive Director Crescente Relacion of the DFA's Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs said the exact number of Filipinos on board the Saudi-owned supertanker was confirmed by the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and the ship owner. Based on GMANews.TV's data, a total of 14 vessels - ranging from small Chinese fishing boats to oil supertankers - with Filipino crew members have been hijacked by Somali pirates particularly in the Gulf of Aden since July this year. Only seven ships remain under the hands of Somali pirates who often drag the ships towards fishing ports teeming with other sea bandits (See table on the right). A total of 63 Filipino seafarers have been freed so far, the latest was the release of two seamen from the MV Stolt Valor earlier this month. Filipino seafarers who have been recently released had told GMANews.TV that their Somali captors had locked them up inside the hijacked vessels and were not fed well. Somali pirates often loot the seafarers' belongings but take no interest in the ship's cargo. Engineer Nelson Ramirez, president of the Manila-based United Filipino Seafarer's group, earlier said the sea bandits profit from the million-dollar ransom money paid by the ship owners. With no functioning government since 1991, piracy has become a lucrative industry in Somalia. The poverty-ridden African nation is located along the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year.19 Pinoys now in Somalia but are safe In a statement on Tuesday (Dubai time), Vela International Marine Limited, owner of the VLCC tanker Sirius Star said a majority of the ship's 25 crew members were Filipinos. The multinational crew also included two British, two Polish, a Croatian and a Saudi national. All 25 crew members on board are believed to be unharmed as the fully laden oil tanker was anchored off the coast of Somalia. Never before have Somali pirates seized such a giant ship so far out to sea — and never a vessel so large. The captors of the Sirius Star anchored the ship, with a full load of 2 million barrels of oil and 25 crew members, close to a main pirate den on the Somali coast, Harardhere. Sea pirates usually target vessels that have low-lying decks like freighters and chemical tankers. However, Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet told the AP that Somali pirates have expanded their ability to attack so far out at sea and are "certainly a threat to many more vessels." Meanwhile the ship owner assured that they are maintaining the communication lines open for the pirates and the relatives of the 25 crew members on board their ship. "We are in communication with their families and are working toward their safe and speedy return," Ka'aki said. The DFA has also instructed its Embassies in Nairobi (Kenya), Manama (Dubai) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to coordinate with the shipowners and international maritime authorities on efforts to secure the "safe release" of the vessel and the crew. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV