Global General

A ship with Filipinos hijacked in Somalia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-30 17:54

MANILA - An undetermined number of Filipino sailors were among the 24 crewmembers of a Panama-flagged vessel seized by pirates on Monday off Somalia, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

The MV Iceberg1 was hijacked by ransom-seeking Somali pirates 10 miles outside the Gulf of Aden Port. Aside from Filipinos, the crew consists of nationals from Yemen, Pakistan, Ghana, India, and Sudan.

"It cannot be confirmed as of this time how many Filipinos are onboard the ship," the DFA said in a statement.

Other than this incident, there are four Filipinos in two vessels, being held by pirates in Somalia.

The Iceberg 1, a roll on roll off vessel with deadweight of 4,500 tons, was carrying a mixed cargo of general mechanical equipment and was bound for Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates when hijacked, according to the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR).

The last contact with the vessel was the master stating to his owner that pirates were onboard, it added.

The Philippines is the world's leading supplier of ship crew with over 350,000 sailors, or about a fifth of the world's seafarers, manning oil tankers, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks.

Since late 2008, more than 200 Filipino seamen have been abducted by pirates off Somali waters.

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.