An April 26, 2011 press release by the Department of Foreign Affairs
The Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) stated that a vessel with 24 Filipino seafarers on board was released by Somali pirates from captivity on April 23.
MV Renuar, a Panama-flagged and Liberian-owned bulk cargo vessel, was abducted on 11 December 2010 in the Indian Ocean, approximately 1050 nautical miles east of the Somali coast and a distance of 550 nautical miles from the coast of India.
The vessel was en route to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates from Port Louis in Mauritius when it was taken over.
Captain Gaudencio Collado, Armed Forces of the Philippines Liaison Officer to the Combined Maritime Forces, and the vessel’s local manning agency reported to the DFA that the 24 Filipino seafarers are all in good condition.
The vessel is now sailing to Fujairah, and arrangements for the repatriation of the 24 Filipino seafarers to Manila are being made.
To date, there are 79 Filipino seafarers on board nine vessels still in captivity by Somali pirates.
The Philippine government has undertaken measures to minimize the exposure of Filipino seafarers to piracy attacks, including making arrangements with ship principals and manning agencies for vessels to travel along a safety corridor and to adopt best management practices as a deterrence to piracy attacks.
The Philippine government has likewise taken up the issue of maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean before the United Nations and other international organizations. The Philippines is a member of the intergovernmental Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).
Last year, CMF-AFPLO Captain Collado was also deployed with the Combined Maritime Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, to assist in the latter’s efforts.
The DFA-OUMWA continues to coordinate closely with the concerned Philippine Embassies, the vessels’ principals and the local manning agencies for the early and safe release of the other Filipino seafarers.
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