14 Filipino crew of hijacked Cypriot tanker safe and free again - DFA

All 23 crewmembers, including 14 Filipinos, of a Cyprus-flagged tanker hijacked on Sept. 14 off the coast of Togo in West Africa “are well and safe" after their release from captivity Saturday, according to a report of Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “The MT Mattheos I… is proceeding to a neutral port," the DFA said late Saturday. The DFA also said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario “alerted and instructed concerned Philippine Embassies to provide appropriate assistance and to make arrangements for the immediate repatriation of the Filipino seafarers to Manila." To muster support from the international community, the DFA said it has raised the issue of maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean before the United Nations and other international organizations. The Philippines is part of the Intergovernmental Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. “The Philippine government has undertaken measures to minimize the exposure of Filipino seafarers to piracy attacks, including making arrangements with ship principals and manning agencies for vessels to travel along a safety corridor and to adopt best management practices as a deterrence to piracy attacks," the DFA also said. — ELR, GMA News