Somali pirates seize 21 Filipinos from hijacked ship

MANILA, Philippines—Somali pirates on Thursday hijacked the MV Free Goddess, a Greek-owned bulk carrier with 21 Filipino crew members aboard, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The Liberia-flagged carrier was attacked by the pirates off the western coast of the Socotra islands, Yemen, said DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez.

The incident brings to 47 the number of Filipinos on board four vessels being held captive by pirates.

“The DFA has instructed our embassy in Bahrain to coordinate with the Combined Maritime Forces based in Manama, and those in Greece and Kenya to keep track of the negotiations with the pirates,” he said.

The latest pirate attack occurred the same week that International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Koji Sekimizu was visiting the Philippines.

Sekimizu paid a courtesy call on President Aquino on February 7. He also held talks with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas.

The IMO chief discussed global measures to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships, and the status of the Philippines’ accession to new IMO conventions. Sekimizu also held dialogues with Philippine shipping industry officials and stakeholders, including the Philippine Inter-Island Shipping Association, and visited several maritime training institutions in Metro Manila.

Filipino seafarers constitute about 25 percent of the manpower of the world’s commercial shipping fleet.