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By Llanesca T. Panti, Reporter
Pirates have freed all 21 Philippine crewmembers of a ship hijacked
off Somalia three months ago, the government said Tuesday.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant
Workers Esteban Conejos confirmed Tuesday that the 21 Filipinos on
board the Philippine-operated, Panama-flagged bulk carrier African
Sanderlin that was hijacked on October 15 last year was freed by
their Somali abductors on Monday. Their ship was also released in
Somalia.
The vessel was the third ship released by the
pirates in four days. Saudi Supertanker MT Sirius Star, with 19
Filipino sailors on board, was released Friday morning, while
Iran-flagged cargo vessel Delight, with seven Filipino crewmen, was
freed
Conejos credited the consecutive release of
ships to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) United Nations
Resolution 1851, which authorizes all necessary measures to stop
anyone from using the government-less Somalia to stage piracy in
nearby waters. The resolution came into force on December 15.
“It [UNSC Resolution 1851] was really a
significant measure on the part of UN because it has stirred
concerted effort from international maritime forces,” Conejos
said.
However, he said 44 other Filipinos remain on
board the three vessels still in pirates’ hands off Somalia,
clarifying earlier remarks.
“We have now 44 seamen [still held] on board
three ships in Somalia [after] the three successive releases,”
Conejos said.
The captive crewmembers are onboard the Stoltz
Strength, Tianyu No. 8 and Chemstar Venus, he said. Pirates seized
the three vessels in separate incidents between November 11 and
November 16 last year, he added.
Meanwhile, Vice President and presidential
adviser on overseas Filipino workers Noli de Castro said that the
freed seamen are all safe.
“I requested a report from the manning agency
in the Philippines and according to them, the master of the ship
declared that ‘everybody is safe.’ This is good news for
everybody, especially to the families of the victims,” de Castro
said.
“From Oman, they will be debriefed and will
fly home to Manila,” he added.
According to sources close to the pirates, $3
million in ransom was paid to free the 330-meter Sirius Star, which
was captured on November 15 with two million barrels of crude oil.
The Philippines supplies about a third of the
world’s merchant marine crews.
De Castro reiterated his call to the
international shipping companies to take extra precautionary
measures and strictly follow the directive to limit voyages to the
“safe zone” or the Maritime Security Patrol Area while passing
the Gulf of Aden.
Conejos added that the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization-led convoy system of operation on ships passing through
the dangerous waters also gave a big lift in the fight against
piracy.
Pirates operating off Somalia’s coast, in the
Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, carried out more than 130 attacks in
2008 alone, turning the region into the world’s most dangerous
waters.
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With AFP
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