Somali pirates seize another ship bearing 7 Pinoy crew

11/21/2008

Ransom-seeking pirates on Tuesday seized another ship which had seven Filipino crew members off Somali waters, bringing to 134 the total number of Filipino sailors in their custody, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported.

According to Foreign Affairs Executive Director Crescente Relacion, the Hong Kong-flagged and Iranian-operated MV Delight that had a 25-man multinational crew was hijacked while traversing the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden on Nov. 18.

Relacion, though, said he was informed by the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, which has jurisdiction over Somalia, that all crew members were unharmed.

He said the DFA has instructed Philippine authorities in Kenya, Iran and Hong Kong to coordinate with shipowners and international maritime authorities in the efforts to secure the safe release of the crew and the vessel.

Relacion again stressed that as a policy, the Philippine government does not negotiate directly nor pay ransom to any kidnap group. Shipowners, however, have been paying huge amounts to ransom off their vessels’ crew, including dozens of Filipinos.

The Philippines supplies a third of all of the world’s sailors. Some 350,000 Filipino seamen are employed all over the world, manning major oil tankers, luxury liners and passenger ships, exposing them to pirate attacks.

Manila has been in a dilemma on how to provide protection to the seafarers. It says banning Filipinos from certain risky regions would be difficult because of the rapid mobility of the sailors and its lack of ability to monitor their movement.

Meanwhile, Somali pirates who hijacked Saudi oil super-tanker Sirius Star on Thursday demanded $25 million in ransom and set a 10-day deadline amid mounting calls for tougher action on sea bandits.

“We are demanding $25 million from the Saudi owners of the tanker. We do not want long-term discussions to resolve the matter,” a pirate who identified himself as Mohamed Said told AFP from the ship, which was anchored at the Somali pirate lair of Harardhere.

“The Saudis have 10 days to comply, otherwise we will take action that could be disastrous,” Said added, without elaborating.

In a sign of growing international frustration over a situation described by the International Maritime Bureau (IBM) as “out of control,” Russia announced it would send more warships to combat piracy in the waters around Somalia.

Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky, the top commander of the Russian Navy, made the announcement.

“After the Neustrashimy (Fearless), ships from other fleets of the Russian navy will head to the region,” Vysotsky said, referring to a frigate sent to the area in September.

“This is needed because of the situation that has developed in the vicinity of the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden, where Somali pirates have sharply increased their activities,” he said.

Russia’s ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, has, meanwhile, called for an international ground military operation to better combat rampant piracy in the region.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Wednesday that the Sirius Star’s owners are in talks with the pirates, but the company that operates the vessel has remained tight-lipped about the claims of negotiations.

Seized at the weekend in the Indian Ocean some 800 kilometers off the coast of Kenya, the ship became the largest to be taken by Somali pirates and the attack furthest away from Somalia.

The super-tanker was loaded to capacity with two million barrels of oil when it was seized along with its crew of 25 — 19 from the Philippines, two from Britain, two from Poland, one Croatian and one Saudi.

The Indian frigate INS Tabar, one of dozens of warships from several countries protecting commercial shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, sank a Somali pirate ship late Tuesday after coming under fire, Navy spokesman Nirad Sinha said.

Pirates use mother ships, generally hijacked trawlers or deep-sea dhows, to tow speedboats from which they launch their attacks with grapnel hooks tied to rope ladders before neutralizing the crews at gunpoint.

The incident came as shipping groups reported a new surge in hijackings off Somalia, with three captured since the Sirius Star was taken.

But the United States, which also has warships patrolling off Somalia, said a military approach was not the answer to a surge of piracy off the Horn of Africa.

“You could have all the navies in the world having all their ships out there, you know, it’s not going to ever solve this problem,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.

“It requires a holistic approach from the international community at sea, ashore, with governance, with economic development,” he added.

Morrell said at least 18 ships are currently being held for ransom by Somali pirates, along with 330 mariners taken hostage. This year there have been 95 attempted ship seizures by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, 39 of them successful.

The European Union said Tuesday it would launch its anti-piracy operation – its first-ever – off Somalia Dec. 8, joining several other warships currently patrolling the region.

Michaela P. del Callar and AFP

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