Pirates seize 24 Pinoy seamen, release 18 others

Pirates seized at least 24 Filipino seafarers aboard a bulk carrier off the Gulf of Aden Monday, a day after 18 other Filipinos manning a product tanker were freed. The European Union Naval Task Force Somalia said pirates aboard a single skiff attacked the bulk carrier MV Eagle early Monday with small arms and a rocket-propelled grenade before boarding the vessel. "The MV EAGLE which is Cypriot flagged and Greek owned, has a deadweight of 52,163 tonnes and a crew of 24 Filipinos and was on passage from Aqabar (Jordan) to Paradip (India) when it was attacked. There is no information concerning the condition of the crew," EU-NAVFOR said in a bulletin on its website. It said the attack occurred in the Gulf of Aden, 490 nautical miles Southwest of Salaam, Oman. There has been no contact with the ship since the attack, it added. Meanwhile, EU-NAVFOR also reported that 18 Filipino seamen held by pirates gained their freedom after the product tanker they were serving on was released. The MV Motivator, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was released early Sunday after it was seized by pirates on July 4 last year in the Southern Red Sea. It was released approximately 160 nautical miles southwest of the island of Socotra near to the coast of Somalia, EU-NAVFOR said. An EU-NAVFOR ship assisted the crew immediately after their release. "According to the ship’s Greek owners, the crew are reported to be as well as could be expected given the circumstances," it said. Based on records from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), there are now 119 Filipino seafarers on board 11 vessels held captive by pirates. GMANews.TV is still trying to reach the DFA for further information on the recent piracy incident. - with Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV