82 more Somali-captured Filipino seamen to go
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) - Nineteen Filipino crew members of a hijacked vessel have been confirmed released on Saturday.
In a statement on Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that, based on a report by the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, the notorious Somali pirates have freed MV ELENI P vessel, which had onboard 23 seafarers, of whom 19 are Filipinos.
Their ordeal lasted for 7 months. Their Liberian-flagged and Greek-owned vessel washijacked last May 12, 2010.
Pirates seized the bulk carrier, which has a deadweight of 72,119 tonnes, about 250 nautical miles off the Omani coast while the vessel was en route to Kandla, India.
Along with the Filipino crew members are 2 Romanians and one Indian national.
"The DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) is coordinating with the seafarer's manning agency and the vessel owner to arrange for his repatriation," the statement said.
Still to be released are 82 more Filipino seafarers onboard 6 vessels captured by the pirates.
Maritime sources said negotiations for a ransom had been taking place, but it was unknown whether a ransom was paid.
The hijacking of dozens of vessels, ranging from massive oil tankers to chartered supply ships carrying UN food aid for Somalia, has become a highly lucrative industry with millions of dollars paid in ransom each year.
On the same day that the 19 Filipino crew of MV ELENI P were freed, another vessel, Panama-flagged vessel MV RENUAR, was seized by Somali pirates.
It had 24 crew onboard. All of them are Filipinos.
Filipino seafarers comprise 25%, or about 300,000, of the world's merchant mariners. - with a report from Reuters
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