PCG hosts anti-piracy confab

MANILA, Philippines – Maritime experts from various countries will gather in Manila for a four-day conference starting today to come up with measures to combat piracy and armed robbery in against ships in Asia.

Philippine Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said some 80 delegates from 26 countries will attend the conference at the Traders Hotel.

The participating countries include Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Vietnam, Djibouti, Tanzania, Ethopia, Maldives, Seychelles, Comoros, Kenya, China, India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Norway, Thailand, and the Philippines.

He said 20 delegates from seven African states will join as observers because the African continent is interested in coming up with a similar organization to help suppress the incidence of piracy in their region.

Tamayo said 80 percent of the world’s goods are transported by merchant vessels.

“The piracy incidents perpetrated in the waters of Somalia or through the Gulf of Aden remain a major cause for worry in the shipping and trading industry,” Tamayo said.

He said Filipino seafarers, who comprise 25 to 30 percent of the world’s seafarers, are among the victims of piracy. – Helen Flores