Pinoy seafarer, fellow crew in hijacked vessel freed

A Filipino seaman and fellow crew members aboard a Bermuda-flagged vessel that was hijacked last March were released Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. The DFA cited a report from the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi as saying that Somali pirates released the MV Talca, which they hijacked off Oman last March 23. "The cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates approximately 120 nautical miles off the coast of Oman on March 23. It is now heading towards Salalah, Oman. Also on board are 23 Sri Lankans and one Syrian," the DFA said on its website Wednesday noon. However, it did not name the Filipino seaman. It said its Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) is coordinating with the Filipino seafarer's manning agency and the vessel owner to arrange for his repatriation. On the other hand, the DFA said there are still 23 Filipinos in captivity in Somalia aboard three vessels. These include 19 aboard the MV Samho Dream, one on the MV Iceberg 1 and three on MV St. James Park. "The DFA-OUMWA continues to coordinate closely with the local manning agencies for the early and safe release of all the seafarers," the DFA said. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV