Ship with 21 Pinoy seamen hijacked

MANILA, Philippines - Somali pirates hijacked a chemical tanker with 21 Filipino crew last Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said the M/T Liquid Velvet, a Marshall Island flagged Greek-owned chemical tanker, was hijacked at around 2:13 p.m. while approaching the Gulf of Aden on its way to Mormugao, India.

“According to the local manning agency, the vessel’s principal in Greece has assured that it is taking responsibility on the matter,” said DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez.

Hernandez said the families of the crewmen had been informed by the local manning agency of the incident.

The DFA has ordered the Philippine embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and Manama, Bahrain to monitor the situation and coordinate with the Combined Maritime Forces and the Philippine embassy in Athens, Greece on negotiations being undertaken by the vessel’s principal with the pirates.

Hernandez said 43 Filipinos on five other vessels are in pirate hands.

About a third of the 1.5 million commercial seafarers worldwide are Filipino.

The European Union Naval Force says pirates held nine ships and about 250 hostages as of October. – Pia Lee-Brago, AP