'Deployment ban to Gulf of Aden risky, ridiculous'

MANILA, Philippines - A Manila-based seafarers’ group found it impossible for the Philippines to implement a deployment ban of Filipino sailors to the Gulf of Aden and instead called the government’s recent action to curb high-seas kidnappings ‘ridiculous.’ The United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) strongly opposed the deployment ban Malacañang ordered after the number of Filipino sailors held captive by pirates in Somalia rose to more than 100, saying that ship owners would face a logistical nightmare once the ban is imposed. In a news release posted in the Office of the Press Secretary’s website on Saturday that the Labor department issued a ban “on commercial ships “against the travel to the Gulf of Aden or within 200 nautical miles or 300 kilometers from Somalia." But UFS president Nelson Ramirez stressed that the deployment ban would put at risk the jobs of thousands of Filipino seafarers since almost 40 percent of merchant vessels pass through the Gulf of Aden, an important waterway for international trade. “If the proposal is pushed through, that would mean lost opportunities for many Filipino seafarers,“ Ramirez told GMANews.TV in an E-mail. Ramirez also opposes the plan to let Filipino seafarers disembark at the nearest port before passing through the Gulf of Aden and let them on board again once the vessel safely passed through the “danger zone." “No shipowner in his right mind, would even think of disembarking Filipino seafarers before his commercial vessel enters the Gulf of Aden...simply put, it is a ridiculous proposal," he added. Ramirez believes that the ban is nothing more than an offshoot to the the daring but successful rescue operations made by US Navy Seals to rescue American skipper Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates on April 12. [See: Kidnapped US captain freed; snipers kill 3 Somali pirates] “Just to prove that they’ve done something they would impose the ban. [Well], their solution is not a solution [but] creates chaos and confusion," Ramirez said. Ramirez explained that except for UN-sanctioned vessels that usually bring in food and relief goods to the lawless African state of Somalia, there are also no commercial vessels going into or out of that country. “So the ban cannot be imposed technically," he said. “In addition, the Somali pirates are not just operating near the coastal waters off Somalia or Gulf of Aden per se but actually in the waters forming the Horn of Africa, which is about one million square miles," Ramirez said. The number of Filipino seafarers being held hostage in Somalia have constantly yo-yoed — from 44 at the start of the year to 120 early this month — as pirates continuously hijack ships passing through the Gulf of Aden, slowly releasing vessels only after ship owners willingly pay multi-million dollar ransom. The government had earlier eyed the deployment ban last year but backpedaled on the proposal after being hit on all fronts by several maritime and seafarers’ groups. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the government has already lined up efforts to comply with the new United Nations Security Council resolutions against international piracy. Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Department of National Defense to dispatch naval liaison officers to work closely with the US Navy Fleet based in Manama, Bahrain as the Philippine contingent to fleet that will patrol the pirate infested areas. He said the shipowners and manning agencies are urged to follow these regulations or face sanctions. But Ramirez said that the best solution to combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden is not to impose a ban but to increase naval patrols in the piracy-prone area. “Every commercial vessel passing through the risky waters should be in a convoy of around 10 to 12 vessels and with military vessels to protect them from the lightning assaults of the Somali pirates. In that way, pirates would think twice of attacking or taking hostage a commercial freighter because they can see the big guns pointing towards their direction if they pursue their evil plans," Ramirez said. “Or better yet, the UN and those nations who are capable should consider addressing the root of the problem by finding a solution to the hunger and poverty, as well as the lawlessness, in Somalia, which has prompted a number of their citizens to go into piracy as a lucrative means to make ends meet," the UFS president added Piracy in the Horn of Africa has increased in recent years as Somalis, most of whom live below the poverty line, are lured to chase and hijack unarmed vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom money. Somalia has no existing central government following civil unrest in 1991. Filipino seafarers, who compose one-third of the world's shipping manpower, are the most prone to kidnappings. In 2007, a total of 208 Filipino sailors on board 17 vessels were abducted by Somali pirates. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV