Somali pirates seize 21 Pinoys, free 19 others

MANILA, Philippines - Somali pirates have released 19 Filipino crewmembers of a chemical tanker but are still holding 98 other Filipinos, including 21 from two other vessels seized on April 6 off Seychelles and Madagascar.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman J. Eduardo Malaya said the Philippine embassy in Nairobi, Kenya informed them of the release of Bow Asir and its crew, including 19 Filipinos.

The DFA said the ship, managed by Norway’s Salhus Shipping, was released on Friday and was leaving Somali waters.

“We thank Salhus Shipping, the Norwegian government and other parties for working for the expeditious release and repatriation of Bow Asir and its crew,” Malaya said in a text message.

“We thank all of them for the early resolution of the incident,” he said.

The 21 Filipinos who were among the latest to be captured by pirates were crewmembers of Win Far 161 and MV Malaspina Castle.

The families of the Filipino crew of Malaspina Castle have been notified of the latest hijacking by the vessel’s local manning agency.

The local manning agency of Win Far 161 is still verifying information from its principal.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office said it was coordinating closely with its Taiwan counterpart office to help ensure the safety of the crewmembers of Win Far, a fishing vessel.

There were 17 Filipino seafarers aboard Win Far 161 and four on MV Malaspina Castle. The Philippines has the largest number of sailors held captive by Somali pirates.

Vice President Noli de Castro appealed yesterday for the safety of hostages in the standoff.

“We hope that before launching any tactical action against the pirates, the welfare of every hostage is guaranteed and ensured,” De Castro said.

“Moreover, any military action is best done in consultation with the United Nations to gain the support and cooperation of other countries,” he added.

The hostages include the American captain of Maersk Alabama, who tried but failed to escape from his captors.

US rules of engagement prevent the Americans from using their vastly superior fighting power to engage the pirates if there is any danger to civilians.

The situation is new for the pirates. Normally, they seize a ship with many hostages and get it anchored near shore, where they can quickly escape to land, and then begin negotiations for multimillion-dollar ransoms.

Naval attaché

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said the government is considering the appointment of a naval attaché in response to a request from the coalition of forces fighting piracy.

“There was a request made to us and it (appointment of naval attaché) is part of our contribution to the international effort against piracy in that part of Africa. The request is emanating from the command center. It is a good chance to demonstrate our solidarity with the international community,” Conejos said.

De Castro earlier said there was a need to appoint such a naval attaché in the face of the pirates’ growing activities.

“In cases of hijacked vessels with Filipino crewmembers, our government needs to establish close coordination with those on the ground such as the NATO naval group consisting of destroyers from Italy and the United States; frigates from Germany, Greece, Turkey and Britain and a German auxiliary vessel. We will be able to achieve this if we have our own naval personnel on site,” De Castro said.

“I already talked to Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and he said he will immediately look into the matter to ensure the safety of our seafarers,” De Castro said.

Other ships with Filipino seafarers still being held by Somali pirates are MT Stolt Strength, MV Saldanha, MV Titan, and MT Nipayia.

Failed escape

An American captain held hostage by four Somali pirates tried to swim for his freedom but was recaptured, and officials said the high seas hostage drama escalated as both pirate ships and US warcraft sailed to the scene.

In a separate incident off the Somali coast, one hostage and two pirates were killed Friday when French naval forces stormed a sailboat and freed four other hostages, including a child. Three pirates were taken into custody.

Pirates threatened to kill their American hostage, Capt. Richard Phillips, if the US attacked them, according to a Somali who has been in contact with the pirates who are in a lifeboat within sight of a US warship about 322 kilometers off the coast of Somalia.

The US was bolstering its force by dispatching other warships to the site off the Horn of Africa, where a US destroyer shadowed the lifeboat carrying Phillips. He was taken hostage in the pirates’ failed effort to hijack the cargo ship Maersk Alabama on Wednesday.

Defense officials say the USS Boxer, flagship for a multination anti-piracy task force, will be nearby soon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive ship movements.

The Boxer resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a crew of more than 1,000, a mobile hospital, missile launchers and about two dozen helicopters and attack planes.

The pirates’ strategy is to link up with their colleagues, who are holding Russian, German, Filipino and other hostages, and get Phillips to lawless Somalia, where they could hide the hostage and make it difficult to stage a rescue, the Somali said. That would give the pirates more leverage and a stronger negotiating position to discuss a ransom. Anchoring near shore also means they could get to land quickly if attacked.

The Somali, who helped negotiate ransom last year to pirates after they seized a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

He said he has talked with a pirate leader in Somalia who helped coordinate the failed effort to seize the Alabama.

He said the pirate leader had been in direct contact with the lifeboat via a satellite phone but lost contact after Phillips’ captors threw the phone - and a two-way radio dropped to them by the US Navy - into the ocean, fearing the Americans were somehow using the equipment to give instructions to the captain. They acted after Phillips’ failed effort to escape.

Around midnight local time, Phillips jumped off the lifeboat and began swimming, according to Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the sensitive, unfolding operations.

One of the pirates then fired an automatic weapon, the officials said, although it was not clear if the shots were fired at Phillips or into the air, and he returned to the lifeboat.

The USS Bainbridge, which is several hundred yards away, has rescue helicopters and lifeboats but is keeping its distance, in part to stay out of the pirates’ range of fire.

Its sailors were able to see Phillips moving around and talking after his return to the lifeboat, and the Defense Department officials think he is unharmed.

Negotiations had been taking place between the pirates and the captain of the Bainbridge, who was getting directions from FBI hostage negotiators, the officials said.

US Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus said US warships also are headed to the area, more than 483 kilometers off Somalia’s Indian Ocean coast.

“We want to ensure that we have all the capability that might be needed over the course of the coming days,” he said.

President Barack Obama, who is getting regular updates on the standoff, declined to answer questions about it Friday for a second straight day. - AP