The crew of a Philipine tanker, who were held hostage by Somali pirates for five months, have arrived back in the Philippines for an emotional reunion with their families.
The 23 men were released after the owners of the Stolt Strength paid a ransom.
"Daily life was always a combination of fear and helplessness, hopelessness. It was the most negative feeling one could experience," said the 62-year-old captain, Abelardo Pacheco.
He said "there were many attempts" made against the crew's lives as representatives of their vessel's owner, Sagana Shipping, negotiated a ransom.
He said the pirates had threatened to shoot them if they tried to escape, and that there were times he had to put himself between his crew and the gunmen.
For second mate Roel de Guzman, the ordeal was a lesson in faith. He said he feared he would never again see his wife, Vilma, and their four children, aged eight to 16.
"But we prayed hard and we were not forgotten," he told reporters.
Foreign Affairs undersecretary Esteban Conejos says Filipino ships will no longer sail in the pirate-infested waters around Somalia.
"The office of the president has decided to impose a ban on the deployment of Filipino seafarers to the Gulf of Aden and along the coast of Somalia and Yemen," he said.
Escorted to safety
After it was released the Stolt Strength's ordeal did not end immediately, with pirates targeting the vessel for a second time after it ran out of fuel and drifted off the eastern coast of Somalia.
US and German navy vessels came to its aid, providing fuel, food and medicine but eventually had to leave on another mission.
"We were left behind unguarded, unprotected," Captain Pacheco said.
"There was obvious fear, apprehension on our side because we had just been released. It was the most dreadful moment of our lives."
A Chinese frigate later escorted the 32,400-tonne Stolt Strength to safety.
Filipino officials later said the Chinese had prevented a second attempt by pirates to board the vessel.
The release of the Stolt Strength, one of the ships longest-held by Somali pirates, has raised hopes for dozens of kidnapped Philippine sailors.
"We still have about 88 Filipino seamen aboard seven ships who are still being held hostage in Somalia," Mr Conejos said.
He added that securing the Stolt Strength's release had been the "most difficult" negotiation with the pirates so far encountered by the Philippines.
The Philippines is the world's biggest supplier of sailors, with over 350,000 sailors manning oil tankers, luxury liners and passenger vessels worldwide.
Source: ABC/AFP
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