MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Noli de Castro on Thursday confirmed the hijacking of a Filipino-manned ship off Somalia and appealed to shipping companies to sail within areas patrolled by a multinational coalition.
"We are still awaiting further developments on the latest Somali piracy case," De Castro said in a statement that named the seized vessel as the African Sanderling, which has a crew of 21 Filipinos.
The Malaysia-based watchdog International Maritime Bureau reported on Wednesday that the bulk carrier was boarded by armed men in the Gulf of Aden while en route to Asia from the Middle East.
"I want to reiterate our appeal to the international shipping companies to take extra precautionary measures and to strictly follow the directive to limit voyages to the 'safe zone' or the Maritime Security Patrol Area," De Castro said.
"Multinational naval forces of US, Britain, and France among others, are patrolling and giving assistance to vessels" using this corridor, he added.
He said Filipinos sailing off Somalia are receiving "double hazard pay" and "are given the option to disembark from the ship should they decide not to continue with the voyage because of the risks involved."
According to the Malaysia-based watchdog, 73 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, 11 of which are still being held for ransom. Pirates are holding more than 200 crew members.
The Philippines said on Wednesday it supported the establishment of a coalition of naval forces off Somalia to prevent the hijacking of foreign vessels, many of which have Filipino crews.
The Philippines supplies a third of the world's shipping manpower, with over 270,000 people working on ships that ply major sea lanes.
The African Sanderling, a Korean-owned, Japanese-operated and Filipino-manned bulk carries, flying a Panamian flag, was hijacked off the coast of Somalia.
Foreign Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said the latest incident increased to 66 the total number of Filipino seamen on four ships being held by pirates.
"The DFA has instructed the embassies in Seoul, Tokyo, and Nairobi to coordinate with the shipowners and operators and with International Maritime Authorities on efforts to secure the early and safe release of the crew members," he said.
Conejos said the DFA had already contacted the concerned manning agency in the Philippines and was awaiting further developments on the latest Somali piracy case.
De Castro, who is presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers, reiterated his appeal to the international shipping companies to take extra precautionary measures and to strictly follow the directive to limit voyages to the "safe zone" or the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA).
He said that the coalition Navies, consisting of multinational naval forces of US, Britain, France among others, are patrolling and giving assistance to vessels passing the MSPA.
Somalia has been without a central government since 1991 and does not have the capacity to control pirates or patrol its coastline.
Online world news reports on piracy in Somalia said that M/V African Sanderling was sailing from the Middle East to Asia when it was seized.
Other reports, quoting US naval intelligence data, identified the Somali Marines as the most powerful and sophisticated of the pirate groups in Somalia because it has a military structure.
Armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, the group has a fleet admiral, vice-admiral and a head of financial operations, the reports said.
The Somali Marines are said to be loyal to regional warlord Abdi Mohamed Afweyne.
They were responsible for the hostage saga where they held 25 hostages for four months until a sizeable ransom was paid-said to be more than $21 million-on Aug. 6, when the hostages were released.
The three other pirate groups are the National Volunteer Coast Guard, Marka group and Puntland Group, all operating off lawless Somalia's 3,300-kilometer coastline.
They have a fleet of speedboats that take off from harmless-looking trawlers before raiding unsuspecting ships. They are also armed with rocket launchers, grenade launchers, GPS and have sound knowledge of shipping lanes and routes.
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