Somali pirates seize 20 Pinoy sailors in Gulf of Aden
By Michaela P. del Callar 10/13/2010Ransom-seeking Somali pirates seized 20 Filipino sailors on board a Japanese vessel, bringing to 101 the total number of Philippine seafarers being held in the Gulf of Aden.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the all-Filipino crewmen of the Japan-bound MV Izumi, a Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel owned by Japanese shipping company NYK-Hinode Line Ltd., were abducted by heavily armed pirates on Oct.10 off the coastal city of Mombasa in Kenya.
The EU naval force, which regularly conducts patrol in the area, immediately dispatched a Danish and French warship to track the MV Izumi after receiving a distress call from the hijacked vessel. French warship FS Floreal is now monitoring the pirated vessel which is currently 170 nautical miles South of Mogadishu, the DFA said.
In the meantime, the DFA said it is coordinating with the local manning agency of the vessel to secure the safe and early release of the seafarers..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101013hed6.html
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