Filipino seafarer found dead on ship attacked by pirates

MANILA, Philippines—A Filipino seafarer was found dead on a Marshall Island-flagged ship four days after it was attacked by pirates at a port in West Africa’s Benin, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

Heavily armed pirates on May 7 boarded chemical tanker MT Sea King while docked in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. Christopher Cortez Ceprado, who was among the 15 Filipinos crewmembers of the ship, was later found dead on May 11.

The pirates looted the vessel and even the personal effects of the crew were taken, the DFA said in a press release.

Ceprado’s death was confirmed by the vessel’s local manning agency, the DFA said. No other crew members were reported hurt.

His body was brought to a mortuary in Cotonou for autopsy, it said.

The DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs said it was closely coordinating with the manning agency on the repatriation of Ceprado’s remains and for other benefits.

At the same time, the DFA said it has instructed the Philippine Embassy in Abuja to coordinate with Benin authorities on the investigation of the incident.