2 Pinoys, 25 other sailors taken by Somali pirates

11/01/2009

MOSCOW — Two Filipinos, two Ghanaians and 23 Russian sailors were among the crew of a Thai fishing trawler seized by Somali pirates, the Russian foreign ministry said Friday.

Nobody was injured in the hijacking of the Thai Union 3, the ministry said in a statement.

“A list of crew members was received, showing that 23 Russian sailors are aboard, as well as two Filipinos and two Ghanaians,” it added.

The fishing vessel came under attack Thursday from two skiffs about 200 nautical miles north of the Seychelles archipelago, according to the European Union’s anti-piracy naval force.

Somali pirates, who have launched almost daily attacks near the Seychelles since monsoon winds dropped a month ago, currently hold a total of nine ships and around 200 crew.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation said the pirates had so far not demanded a ransom.

So far this year, there have been over 150 pirate attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and off the east coast of Somalia. The war-ravaged country has been without an effective government since 1991.

The Philippines has been in a dilemma on how to provide protection to the seafarers due to the rapid mobility of the seamen and the government’s inability to track their destination.

A ban has been proposed by the Department of Foreign Affairs but has met strong opposition from local seafarers’ groups, saying this policy will cost them their jobs and force shipping companies to turn to other nations for manpower.

To date, the Philippines is the world’s leading supplier of crew, with over 350,000 sailors manning oil tankers, luxury liners and passenger vessels worldwide.

Despite the risks, private 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. AFP with Tribune wires

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