Somali pirates release 2 ships with 22 Pinoys

MANILA, Philippines - Not just 18 but 22 Filipino seafarers were freed by Somali pirates last Saturday (May 9), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday. Apart from releasing the Greek-owned MT Nipayia with its Russian captain and 18 Filipino crew, the pirates also freed the 32,000-ton Malaspina Castle, which had four Filipinos among its crew, the DFA said. Pirates seized the Italian-operated Malaspina Castle in the Gulf of Aden on April 6. On the other hand, the 9,000-ton chemical tanker MT Nipayia was seized on March 25 at about 450 miles (720 kilometers) off Somalia. “[We are] still awaiting details of the repatriation of the Filipino crew of the two vessels. Filipino seafarers on board three other hijacked vessels namely, MV Saldanha, Philippine-flagged MT Stolt Strength, and M/V Titan have arrived in Manila,’ the DFA said. The Associated Press earlier reported the release of the 18 Filipino seafarers on board the Greek ship. [See: Pirates free Greek ship with 18 Filipino crew] This development brings down to 54 the total number of Filipino seafarers held in the Horn of Africa on board three ships, based on records made available by the DFA through news reports. The three remaining vessels are the WinFar 161, hijacked last April 6 with 17 Filipinos; MV Irene, hijacked April 15 with 22 Filipinos; and the MV Patriot, seized April 25 with 15 Filipinos on board The number of Filipino seafarers being held hostage in Somalia have constantly yo-yoed — from 44 at the start of the year to 108 last month — as pirates continually hijack ships passing through the Gulf of Aden, slowly releasing vessels only after ship owners pay multi-million dollar ransom. - GMANews.TV