22 Filipino seamen freed by Somali captors

09/16/2009

After five months in captivity, 22 Filipino sailors on board a Greek merchant vessel were freed by Somali pirates, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila yesterday said.

According to the DFA, the local manning agency Bright Maritime Corp. had informed the agency that negotiations for the release of the vessel and its crew had been "successful."

The Saint Vincent-flagged ship was seized by heavily armed men off Somalia last April 14.

The DFA did not say the date of the sailors’ release and their exact location, but said their repatriation was under way.

With this development, the total number of Filipino seafarers in the custody of Somali pirates has been reduced to 20.

The remaining hostages are crew members of two vessels – the Win Far 161, which was hijacked last April 6, with 17 Filipino crew on board; and the M/V Charelle, which was seized last June 13, with three Filipino crew.

It was not clear if ransom was paid in exchange for the Filipino sailors’ release.

Somali pirates have previously demanded US$2.8 million in exchange for the freedom of the ship and the crew.

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