Somali pirates on Friday freed 3 Filipino seafarers working on a Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Citing a report from the Philippine embassy in Nairobi, the DFA said the pirates released the FV Tai Yuan 227.
The DFA did not mention the names of the seafarers.
The department said the ship’s owner received news on the vessel’s release from the ship's master.
“It was earlier reported that the vessel was used as a mother ship and that a few days ago, 4 pirates and 2 crew members were injured after an armed battle with the Dutch naval ship at high seas,” the DFA said in a press statement.
The FV Tai Yuan 227 had a multinational crew of 28 and was operating near the Seychelles when attacked by pirates last May 6, 2010. The vessel was in pirates’ hands for almost 8 months.
Aside from the 3 Filipino seafarers, the vessel also had Chinese, Vietnamese, Kenyan and Mozambican crew members.
A US warship provided the crew with fresh water and food after the release, the DFA said.
The vessel is now moving away from Somalia.
There are currently 123 Filipino seafarers on board 11 vessels being held captive by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, according to the DFA.
Source: abs-cbnNEWS.com
No comments:
Post a Comment