Pirates free Pinoy sailor, 28 others

Somali pirates have released a United Arab Emirates-flagged oil tanker and the vessel’s 29 crew members, one of whom is a Filipino, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.

The DFA identified the ship as the MT Zirku, which was hijacked by the pirates on March 28 in the Gulf of Aden, and the Filipino seaman as 2nd Officer Dindo Recto.

“The vessel is now sailing toward Salalah, Oman. Arrangements are being made for the repatriation of Recto to Manila,” said DFA spokesperson J. Eduardo Malaya.

Malaya said “all crew members of the hijacked ship are in good condition.”

The Abu Dhabi-registered vessel was traveling from Sudan to Singapore when it was hijacked by the pirates some 250 nautical miles southeast of Oman.

The 105,846-metric ton ship is operated by the Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Co.

Meanwhile, Capt. Gaudencio Collado, Armed Forces liaison officer to the Combined Maritime Forces in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, has reported to the DFA that there are still 78 Filipino seafarers who are being held by Somali pirates.

The sailors are on board eight foreign-flagged vessels, said Collado.

According to the DFA, “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.”

“It has likewise taken up the issue of maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean before the United Nations and other international organizations,” it also said.