19 Pinoy seafarers on board hijacked tanker: DFA

Nineteen Filipinos were among the crew members of the South Korean ship hijacked by Somali pirates on Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Monday. “The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi [in Kenya] sent an initial report to the [DFA] today that another ship with 19 Filipino crew members were seized by Somali pirates," the department said in a statement. Five South Koreans were believed to be on board the M/V Samho Dream when it was hijacked northeast of the Somali Basin on Sunday. The ship had reportedly come from Iraq and was heading for Louisiana in the United States when it was hijacked, the DFA said. The DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs is coordinating with the “vessel’s principal, the local manning agency" and the Philippine embassies in Nairobi and Seoul regarding the incident, according to the statement. The latest hijacking brings to 24 the number of Filipino seafarers on board four vessels held captive by Somali pirates. – SD/YA, GMANews.TV