DFA: 8 Pinoys aboard pirate-attacked ship due this Christmas

At least eight Filipinos serving aboard a German-owned cargo vessel that managed to repel a recent attack by Somali pirates will come home for Christmas. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) made the announcement Thursday, even as it lauded the vessel's crew for using "best practices" to thwart the attack. "The DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) was informed that all the seafarers are safe and have expressed their intention to continue working on-board. The crew members added that they will come home to the Philippines in time for the Christmas holidays," the DFA said on its website. [See: DFA news release] It said the eight seafarers served on the MV Beluga Fortune, which Somali pirates boarded last Oct. 24 while in the Indian Ocean en route to Richards Bay, South Africa. The vessel had 16 crew members, half of them Filipinos. They thwarted the attack by sending a distress call, cutting off the ship's fuel supply, shutting down all the power on the bridge before hiding in a safe room to avoid being overwhelmed by the pirates. The crew hid below deck for two days, the DFA noted. Unable to take charge of the ship or hold any crew member hostage, the pirates were forced to abandon the vessel after stealing some personal belongings of the crew. A seafarer also called the local manning agency and reported what happened, which also helped in alerting American and British naval ships in the area. The naval vessels escorted the MV Beluga Fortune to safety as it proceeded toward Richards Bay. "The adoption of best practices by the seafarers saved them from being held captive by the pirates, which shows how important it is that seafarers and vessel owners adopt these practices as safety measures against attacks," DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said. The DFA-OUMWA has coordinated with the local manning agency regarding the seafarers' condition. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV