12 Filipino seafarers freed, 96 others remain in Somalia - DFA

MANILA, Philippines - Twelve Filipino seafarers who were held captive inside their vessel for 58 days in Somalia have been released by their captors, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday afternoon. The Filipinos were on board MV Longchamp, a Bahamas-flagged LPG tanker owned by Bernard Schulte Ship Management in Germany, when it was hijacked by Somali pirates on Jan. 29. "The local manning agency is assisting in the repatriation of the seafarers," the DFA said. The latest development leaves 96 Filipino seafarers still being held captive in Somalia. The other ships with Filipino seafarers are: MT Stolt Strength (23), MV Saldanha (19), MV Titan (17), MT Nipayia (18), and MT Bow Asir (19). MT Nipayia was hijacked only last March 25 and the MT Bow Asir on March 26. Last year, a total of 17 vessels with 208 Filipino seafarers had been hijacked. Filipinos are most prone to kidnappings as they represent a third of the world's shipping manpower. Somalia has not had a functioning government since clan-based militias overthrew a socialist dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other. Piracy has since then become a lucrative industry for most Somali nationals. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV