DFA confirms release of Korean tanker with 19 Filipinos

The Philippine Embassy in Kenya has confirmed that Somali pirates have released the Marshall Island-flagged MT Samho Dream and its 24 crew members, 19 of them Filipinos, seven months after the ship was hijacked. In a statement issued Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the 19 Filipino and five South Korean crew of MT Samho Dream, a crude oil tanker, are all safe and in good condition. The Embassy’s statement, however, did not mention about the reported ransom paid to the pirates for the ship’s release amounting to at least $9 million, as reported by the Associated Press and the South Korean media. MT Samho Dream was hijacked northeast of the Somali Basin at the Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden on April 4 while it was reportedly en route to Louisiana in the United States. “The DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) is coordinating with the manning agency and the vessel owner on arrangements for the repatriation of the Filipino seafarers," the DFA statement said. To date, there are 91 Filipino seafarers on board seven vessels still held captive by pirates, the DFA noted. “The DFA-OUMWA continues to coordinate closely with the concerned Philippine Embassies, the vessels’ principals and the local manning agencies for the early and safe release of the other seafarers," the DFA said. On October 30, Somali pirates also seized a Panama-flagged tanker with 16 Filipinos. A Singaporean liquefied petroleum gas tanker with 14 Filipino crew members was likewise hijacked off Kenya. Of the estimated 1,200,000 seafarers worldwide, more than 300,000 are Filipinos, according to the Apostleship of the Sea, a UK-based advocacy group. - Jerrie M. Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV