Kidnapped Pinoy seafarers’ rise to 110

The total number of Filipino sailors taken hostage by ransom-seeking pirates off Somalia has climbed to 110.

Just last week, pirates seized 30 Filipino seamen in two separate hijacking incidents on Oct. 23 and 30. Those ships seized were the Singaporean oil tanker MV York with 14 Filipinos on board and the Liberian vessel, MV Polar, with 16 Filipino crewmen.

The Filipino captives are on board eight vessels off the Gulf of Aden: one aboard the MV Iceberg 1, 19 on the MV Samho Dream, 19 aboard the MV Eleni P, three aboard the FV Tai Yuan, 18 on the MT Motivator, 20 aboard the MV Izumi, 14 on MV York and 16 on MV Polar.

As a policy, the Philippine government does not negotiate nor pay ransom to kidnappers, but gives ship owners the free hand in negotiating for the release of abducted Filipino sailors. In the past, millions of dollars worth of ransom were believed to have been paid by shipowners to Somali pirates in exchange for the release of abducted sailors and hijacked vessels.

The DFA assured that it continues to coordinate with the local manning agencies for the early and safe release of all these seafarers.

The Philippines is the world’s leading supplier of ship crew with over 350,000 sailors, or about a fifth of the world’s seafarers, manning oil tankers, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks.

Despite the risks, private shipping companies still see the seas surrounding the Horn of Africa as a cost-effective means for moving goods with as many as 20,000 ships traveling these waters annually.

Manila has proposed a ban to the Gulf of Aden amid strong opposition from local seafarer groups and manning agencies.

Groups feared that thousands of Filipino seamen stand to lose their jobs if the plan would push through, saying almost 40% of the global merchant marine fleet traverses the risky waters of the Gulf of Aden for the lucrative trade between Europe and Asia.

In lieu of a ban, the Philippine government, in the meantime, asked shipping lines carrying Filipino crewmen to stay clear by at least 200 nautical miles off the 3,300-kilometer coastline of Somalia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that all commercial ships must stay within the designated coordinates of the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) being patrolled by the naval and air assets of a multi-national military task force led by the United States .

There is no existing central government in Somalia . Since the United Nations withdrew in March 1995 without restoring a functioning government, little progress has been made.

Aside from the autonomous, broadly self-governed enclaves of Somaliland and Puntland in the northern parts of the country, over the past 18 years, Somalia has suffered under “governance” by a succession of tribal factions, warlords, Islamist groups, and foreign interventions.

With instability in Somalia, pirates became more emboldened to stage hijackings for profit off its territorial seas and neighboring waters in the last few years. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune