Somali pirates release 14 Filipino seafarers - DFA

At least 14 Filipino seafarers were among the crew of a Greek-owned ship freed by Somali pirates, the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The DFA said on Friday that the Filipino crew were safe and in good health. The vessel and its crew are now heading to Mombasa, according to the department. “The latest release has reduced the number of hijacked Filipino seafarers off the coast of Somalia to 56, involving five vessels," the DFA said on its website. It added that the Philippine government had continued to step up preventive and remedial efforts to address the continued increase in the number of piracy and hostage-taking incidents involving Filipino crew seafarers off the coast of Somalia. Recently, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced that it would require Filipino seafarers to undergo anti-piracy training to deal with and avoid piracy situations. DOLE and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) have also issued safety and security directives to manning agencies of ships plying the Gulf of Aden. As for seafarers in custody, the DFA and DOLE have continued to coordinate and meet with concerned manning agencies and their shipping principals on the release and repatriation of Filipino seafarers. The government has also brought the matter of the menace of piracy to the attention of the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations, and other international fora. The issue of piracy is also expected to be one of the agendas in the visit of Somali Deputy Prime Minister Adurahman Aden Ibrahim Ibbi on December 21 to 24. Ibbi is expected to visit the country along with Somali Ambassador to Indonesia Mohamoud Olow Barow and Somali Navy Commander Admiral Farah Ahmed Omar, upon the invitation of the Philippine government. “As the supplier of about a third of the world’s shipping manpower, the Philippines is directly affected by the scourge of piracy," the DFA said in another statement. Ibbi, who is also the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Somalia, is scheduled to meet with officials of the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine Navy, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Civil Service Commission. “Possible areas of cooperation and training that will be explored in the Manila meetings include maritime security, search and rescue, law enforcement operations; combating piracy; marine environmental protection; aquaculture development; and human resource development," the statement further said. The DFA added that training Somali maritime authorities may help curb piracy off the coast of Somalia, where numerous international vessels have been hijacked by Somali pirates. - JMA, JV, GMANews.TV