14 Filipino seamen freed by Somali pirates

Fourteen Filipino seafarers on board a Greek vessel was freed by ransom-seeking Somali pirates this week, the Philippine embassy in Nairobi reported Friday.

The Filipino crew of MV Delvina are "safe and in good health." The vessel and its crew are now heading to Mombasa.

The latest release has reduced the number of hijacked Filipino seafarers off the coast of Somalia to 56, involving five vessels. Philippine foreign affairs and labor officials are coordinating with concerned manning agencies and their shipping principals on the release and repatriation of Filipino seafarers.

The Philippine government is stepping up efforts to address the rising incidence of piracy and hostage-taking involving Filipino seafarers off the coast of Somalia.

The Philippine labor department is requiring Filipino seafarers to undergo anti-piracy training to teach them how to deal with piracy situations and how to avoid it. It has also issued safety and security directives to manning agencies of ships plying the Gulf of Aden.

The Philippines is the world's leading supplier of ship crew with over 350,000 sailors, or about a fifth of the world's seafarers, manning oil tankers, luxury liners and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks.

Source: Xinhua