Filipino seafarers working in various international shipping vessels are expected to reach 400,000 at the end of the year, the Philippines’ envoy to London said but lamented of their continuous exposure to incessant kidnap-for-ransom activities by pirates off African waters, one of the world’ major trading routes.
Noting the threat that piracy poses to seafarers, ambassador Enrique Manalo called for greater global cooperation to stop lawless elements from hijacking vessels and the subsequent abduction of its crew, particularly in areas where it is prevalent such as in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea.
“We enjoin all governments to contribute toward the international effort to combat piracy,” Manalo told an International Maritime Organization (IMO) assembly in London as he encouraged other governments “to lend their support to anti-piracy efforts within their capacity.”
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.
Shipping, which transports 90 percent of goods in global trade, employs about 1.2 million seafarers, the bulk of whom come from the Philippines.
The Philippines is one of the world’s leading supplier of ship crew or about a fifth of the world’s seafarers, manning oil tankers, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks.
Piracy and ransom kidnappings of Filipino sailors by Somali pirates in the dangerous Somali waters, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, have long been a problem for the Philippine government as they lack the capacity to monitor their movements when at sea.
Somali militants and other armed brigands have resorted to such criminal activities in recent years.
Somali authorities are powerless over these groups as there is no existing central government in the African state. Since the United Nations withdrew in Somalia in March 1995 without restoring a functioning government, little progress has been made.
While no clear solution is in sight to end piracy attacks, Manalo stressed the need for proper skills training and education for sailors before boarding vessels that will pass through African waters.
In response to increasing attacks, Manalo said the Philippines has incorporated anti-piracy modules in the training of its seafarers and dispatched a naval liaison officer to Manama, Bahrain, the base of a multinational government maritime fleet, to coordinate actions of navies deploying military vessels to protect merchant shipping.
To date, at least 20 Filipino sailors captured from various ships remain in the custody of pirates in Somalia. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune
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