Phil Star
By Angelo L. Gutierrez
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The DFA said that MV Renuar, a Panama-flagged and Liberian-owned vessel, was released by the pirates last April 23 (Saturday).
It said that according to Captain Gaudencio Collado, military liaison officer to the Combined Maritime Forces, and the vessel's local manning firm have confirmed that the 24 Filipino seamen are all in good condition.
The Panama-flagged vessel was seized by Somali pirates on Dec. 11, 2010 about 1,050 nautical miles east of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. It was en route to Fujirah in the United Arab Emirates from Port Louis, Mauritius when it was attacked.
The DFA said that the vessel is now sailing to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, and arrangements for the repatriation of the Filipino seamen to Manila are already being made.
The DFA said that there 79 Filipino seamen on board nine vessels are still in captivity by Somali pirates.
"The Philippine government has undertaken measures to minimize the exposure of Filipino seafarers to piracy attacks, including making arrangements with ship principals and manning agencies for vessels to travel along a safety corridor and to adopt best management practices as a deterrence to piracy attacks," DFA said in a statement.
It added that the government has already taken up the issue of maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean before the United Nations and other international organizations.
Source: Phillipino Star