PHL, Japan push for stronger action vs piracy in Gulf of Aden

The Philippines and Japan will take stronger action against piracy following meetings in Manila, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Monday. "It is imperative that we build our capacities to deter, interdict, and bring to justice those who commit acts of piracy and armed robbery against our ships and seafarers," Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz told the participants at last week's consultations, as reported in a news release posted on the DOLE website. At last week's Philippines-Japan Working Level Meeting and Tabletop Exercise, Cruz said the DOLE has gained the cooperation of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in the efforts against sea-piracy that has victimized Filipino seafarers. ‘Tabletop exercises’ are simulated scenarios designed to test the response capability of an organization to a given event. Philippine and Japanese officials aired concerns over the escalating atrocity in the Gulf of Aden, especially after Somali pirates shot dead Filipino seaman Farolito Vallega on board the cargo ship MV Beluga Nomination off the coast of Seychelles early this year. Anti-piracy cooperation The DOLE and Japan’s MLIT also met with manning agencies, maritime training institutions, and Filipino seafarers’ groups, to strengthen anti-piracy measures and prevent pirates from killing more Filipino seamen. “The DOLE also strongly supports the call of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for urgent and greater anti-piracy coordination and cooperation procedures between and among states, regions, organizations, and industries," Cruz said. Japan's MLIT handles international transport security for Japanese-owned vessels while the MTC, a DOLE-attached agency, sets maritime training standards to ensure Filipino seafarers’ competitiveness and employability. During the meeting, Cruz pushed for bolder anti-piracy measures against maritime piracy, particularly against Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. “We in the DOLE are asking the international community and the social partners in the shipping industry, such as manning agencies, shipping companies, maritime training centers, and seafarers groups, to take more purposive action and stronger deterrents against the unabated occurrence of maritime piracy," he said. Cruz particularly urged the participants at the anti-piracy meeting to identify measures on how the social partners could more effectively address the sea-piracy problem and improve their readiness to respond to piracy situations. Pirates hold 130 Filipino seamen hostage He noted that the Philippines, which supplies a third of the world's seafarers' population, is among the most adversely affected and seriously alarmed by incidences of piracy in the Somali basin and the Gulf of Aden. At least 130 Filipino seafarers on board 11 vessels had been held captive by Somali pirates, based on records from the Department of Foreign Affairs. To cushion the impact of maritime piracy on Filipino seafarers, Cruz said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration issued guidelines requiring shipowners, principals, managers, and manning agencies to ensure that vessels with Filipino seafarers should pass only within the declared maritime security patrol area in the Gulf of Aden. Filipino seafarers are also required to undergo anti-piracy training. “The Philippines has also been admitted as member of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. The UN has established this group to facilitate discussion and coordination of actions among states and organizations to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia," he added. [See: PHL now a member of UN group vs piracy] Cruz added that the Philippine-Japan anti-piracy meeting is a venue for both countries to share information that can enhance measures against piracy, particularly in equipping seafarers with skills that will enable them to deter pirate attack. Filipino seafarers comprise 70 percent of the crew on board Japanese international merchant vessels and play a vital role in ensuring safe, secure, and stable Japanese international shipping activity, the DOLE noted. A little over six weeks ago, the director of the Philippine-Japan Manning Consultative Council (PJMCC) had pointed out that Filipino seafarers, from ship captains to mates, are “well-equipped to man even the most sophisticated sea vehicle in the world." —With Jerrie ABella/MRT/VS, GMA News