The Philippines on Wednesday called on shipping companies to provide more protection for Filipino sailors after 16 of them were seized by pirates who took over a Greek-flagged supertanker off Somalia.

The Philippines on Wednesday called on shipping companies to provide
more protection for Filipino sailors after 16 of them were seized by
pirates who took over a Greek-flagged supertanker off Somalia.

Labour
Secretary Marianito Roque said that following the seizure of the Maran
Centaurus on Sunday, a total of 71 Filipinos were being held by pirates
operating on the lawless seas off the Horn of Africa.

“Owners of
ships plying the Gulf of Aden should drill their seafarers on safety
precautions in case they will be boarded — evasion strategies as
well,” Roque told reporters.

The 16 Filipinos were among 28 crew members aboard the Maran Centaurus when it was taken over.

The
crew of a second Greek tanker, the Sikinos, including 16 Filipinos,
almost met a similar fate on Tuesday but used water hoses and flares to
repel a dawn attack by pirates off Oman.

Roque said he would address a shipowners’ meeting in London in mid-December to urge them to do more to protect crews.

At
least 229,000 Filipinos are aboard merchant shipping vessels around the
world, the largest single group by nationality, according to Philippine
labour department data.

Roque said pirates operating off Somalia
were now ranging far beyond their original spheres of operations, and
that a multinational naval fleet deployed in the area was being spread
thin.

“Our challenge is, the interdictions are no longer happening
in the Gulf of Aden. (These) are happening outside, (off) Tanzania, or
even somewhere in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

“We are patrolling the
gulf but nothing is happening between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
They (pirates) are now operating beyond those areas.

“It’s getting farther so we just have to discuss this openly with the shipowners, especially in Europe.”

Roque
said Manila was also counting on the shipowners to take steps to win
the freedom of Filipinos and other crews detained by pirates.

“It’s
between the shipowners and third parties they are getting for
mediation,” he said when asked what was being done to win the freedom
of the Filipinos.

Source: AFP

Search to find what you want

• Philippines orders sailors to take anti-piracy classes

    The Philippines has ordered its seamen, comprising about a third of the world’s commercial sailors, to go through anti-piracy training. The labour ministry said the classes must be completed before any future seafarer is allowed to go to sea

• Somali pirates release Greek-owned ship, crew 21

     (AP) Somali pirates have released a Greek-owned ship and its 21 crew members, including 14 Filipinos, after more than a month in captivity, the Philippine government and the ship’s owner said Friday.  Source

• Pirates Extend for attacks, target oil tankers from the Gulf

    Somali pirates have begun to target oil tankers from the Gulf states and have increased the range for attacks to the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and in the Indian Ocean. The International Maritime Bureau has reported that Somali pirates were seeking to capture oil tankers from the Persian Gulf

• Denmark to help Africa in the fight against the pirates

    The Danish Shipowners’ Association has been in dialogue with a number of East African countries about a new plan, using Danish maritime knowhow to build at fleet of African coast guard patrol ships, to fight off Somali pirates. “We see that attacks are happening a long way from the coast,

• Somali Pirates Free Greek – Owned Cargo Ship

    Somali pirates have released the Greek-owned ship MV Delvina, a Kenyan maritime official said on Thursday.

• Somali pirates release 17 Filipinos from Hijacked Ship

    Pirates have released more than a dozen Filipino workers from a hijacked fishing vessel off the coast of Somalia. In a statement, the Philippine Foreign Affiars Department said 17 Filipino crew members of the FV Win Far 161 were released on Thursday. The seafarers are in good condition and are

• EU: Somali Pirates Seize Cargo Ship with 22 crew

    Somali pirates on Wednesday seized a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean with 22 crew members on board, the European Union Naval Force said. Naval spokesman Cmdr

• Pirate insurance is pure gold

    Escalating numbers of pirate attacks around the world are creating a boom for marine insurers as shipowners scurry to take out policies against seizures and kidnappings. Shipping companies can expect to pay up to ?9,000 for a single voyage through a pirateinfested area and brokers estimate they are receiving around

• No report of injuries or losses of the two abducted ships: IMF Officer

    There was no report about any injuries and casualties so far on the two ships kidnapped by Somali pirates on Monday, an officer of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said here on Wednesday.

• Pirates take Greek ship towards the coast of Somalia

    A Greek cargo ship hijacked this week was being taken toward the Somali coast, but its crew members were unharmed, the ship’s operating company said on Saturday. “The master of the vessel has reported that the crew are unharmed and the vessel is sailing towards the Somali coast,” Athens-based Meadway

• Danish troops free pirate ship bulk

    Danish special forces stormed a dry bulk ship Friday after reports that it had been captured by armed Somali pirates, the Associated Press reported. The Danish troops approached the vessel in an inflatable dinghy and scaled the side of it, a naval spokesman said. But there were conflicting accounts as

• Hijacked Greek oil-laden supertankers reached the coast of Somalia

    A massive Greek oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean has reached the Somali coastline, the European Union’s anti-piracy mission off Somalia said Wednesday.

• Barbed wire – Low-tech defense against pirates

     Razor-sharp barbed wire strung along the deck railings of vessels can be an effective, low-cost foil to pirates at sea, and shipowners should adopt it widely, a Danish shipping executive said on Thursday. Piracy has flourished in recent years, especially in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, hitting key shipping lanes for

• Navy foils pirate attack on tankers in the Gulf of Aden

    The Indian Navy on Monday prevented a pirate attack on a US-owned tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia’s coast. A Navy spokesperson here confirmed the attack on a private tanker that was flying a Norway flag

• GMA vows to protect the sailors from pirates RP work

    With dozens of Filipino sailors still in the hands of pirates, President Arroyo vowed Monday to work with the African Union to resolve the problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia to ensure the protection of the world’s seafarers and commercial shipping lanes. During a three-day visit to Libya,