33 Filipinos among those recently hijacked in Somalia
The hijacking of international ships navigating off the coast of Somalia still continues despite joint efforts by the international community to eradicate the problem. Just recently another hijacking occurred involving two chemical tankers. Among the hostages were 33 Filipinos as confirmed in a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The hijacked vessels were all chemical tankers. A Greek-owned MT Nipaiya where 18 Filipinos were on board and taken over by pirates on March 25 and MT Bow Asir taken over by pirates on March 26 and where 15 crews were believed to be Filipinos.
Coordinated efforts between the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Department of Foreign Affairs are already under way to find out the identities of these Filipino crew members as well as to notify their families.