Why Pinoy seamen risk going to ‘pirate alley’

MANILA, Philippines – They call it the “pirate alley,” for reasons clear to any seafarer who has ever sailed from the Middle East and India en route to Europe.

One could almost call its reputation legendary, except for the fact that there is no trace of fiction in it.

The Gulf of Aden, off the Coast of Somalia, remains one of the most notorious pirate-infested waters in modern times. International monitoring group Ecoterra has recorded at least 551 incidents of seajacking since 2008. Many more attacks remained undocumented, with vessels disappearing off the radar, never to be found again.

But one no longer needs to look farther than 2010 to understand the gravity of Somali piracy. This year alone, 508 seafarers from all over the world remain captive by Somali pirates, and 91 of these captives are Filipinos.

Seaman Luther Amaro was once chief mate of a vessel that often took the 3- to 5-day voyage across the Gulf of Aden. He recalls the fear that would grip their hearts as they approached, and the haunting distress calls that would bombard their ship’s VHF radio.

“They would say ‘mayday, mayday…,’” recounts Amaro. “We are under pirate attack.’ Sometimes, they would say, ‘they are firing their guns!’ and the coordinates they would give are just a few miles ahead of us.”

But when asked if he would sail to the Gulf of Aden again, Amaro replies, “Yes. When we became sailors, we knew there were risks involved. I’ve accepted these risks.”

Engr. Jun Valmonte, president of a manning agency that deploys sailors to the various ships at sea, explained that nearly all of the seamen he has encountered share the sentiments of Amaro.

Even sailors-in-training regard passage into the Gulf of Aden as potential bragging rights. Ship owners themselves prefer to risk the Gulf of Aden, rather than take the long way round to Europe, which would add at least 10 more sailing days to the voyage. Valmonte commutes a ship’s consumption to amount to $20,000 dollars per day.

“The Gulf of Aden is the most economical route. It’s also the correct route, the fastest route. You can avoid it, but that would add 2 to 3 thousand miles on your expense. How much more fuel, how much more pay would you have to dish out?”

When asked whether it would consider imposing a ban on Filipino sailors from entering the Gulf of Aden, considering the circumstances, the Department of Foreign Affairs merely answered “what is important is we prepare our seamen for the risks they have to take. All professions have risks, and our seamen know this. Manning companies and shipping lines should train their crew and prepare them for such incidents.”

Instead of discouraging sailors from entering the Gulf of Aden, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency has ordered all sea-based employers to pay double the amount to any sailor who enters “pirate alley.” This, more than pride and honor, convinces the country’s sailors to push on.

“Ship captains say ‘okay, after this port, we enter the Gulf of Aden. All those who do not wish to enter, can go home at the shipping line’s expense. Those who want to continue, get twice the normal pay. I’ve never met a sailor who chose to go home. They even like the Gulf of Aden more because they get paid more.”

So, with no one to give a definitive order to stop sailing onto the Gulf of Aden, ships now come up with their own ways to defend themselves from pirates.

Countries like France, the United States, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Great Britain have sent armed naval vessels to accompany any ship to and back from the Gulf of Aden. Ships who wish to seek their protection only need to meet the designated schedule of the convoy’s departure, and they are assured safe passage. But not all ships arrive in time for the convoy, and many are still left to fend for themselves.

Some crew members have established a “panic room” within their ships—a room stocked with food, water, and communication devices, where the crew can lock themselves in the moment pirates reach their ship. Panic rooms are usually situated near the engine, so the crew members can disable the vessel and prevent the pirates from taking them away.

Seaman Amaro, meanwhile, who will be ship captain on his next voyage in a few months, showed ABS-CBN photographs of his vessel completely wrapped in barbed wire.

“The point is to slow the pirates down while we radio for rescue. Or just to injure them a bit. “

Valmonte explains that unless government steps in, Filipino sailors will keep on sailing. The risk, for the sailors, is nothing compared to the money they can bring home to their families. –Chiara Zambrano, ABS-CBN News