Somali pirates seize tanker with 18 Pinoys

At least 18 Filipinos were on board a chemical tanker hijacked by Somali pirates off southern Red sea, the European Union’s anti-piracy task force confirmed Monday. In a report, the EU Naval Force Somalia said that pirates attacked the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Motivator in the northern Bab-Al-Mandeb – the strait between the Arabian peninsula and the Horn of Africa – on Sunday. According to the NAVFOR, the MT Motivator first reported it was under attack by Somali pirates firing small arms at the tanker early Sunday. “After notification of this attack, attempts were made to make contact with the Motivator but to no avail. The hijack was confirmed early on 5 July," the report stated. The Bab-Al-Mandeb strait is shared by Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea, which is north of Somalia, in the Horn of Africa. The MT Motivator, a chemical products tanker with deadweight of 13,065 tons, the NAVFOR said. The tanker was loaded with lubricants when it was seized, it added. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it received a report of the hijacking from the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi. “The DFA is coordinating with the ship’s principal and naval authorities in the region on measures to ensure the safety and security of the seafarers," DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya said in a text message. The NAVFOR also said it is monitoring the situation. The recent hijacking brings to 81 the number of Filipinos held captive by pirates: 18 on board the MT Motivator, three on board the FV Tai Yuan 227, 19 on board the MV Eleni P, one on board the MV Iceberg 1, 19 on board the MT Samho Dream, and 21 on board the MV Voc Daisy, DFA records showed. —VS, GMANews.TV