Africa News
21 Filipino sailors abducted by suspected Somali pirates off Yemen
Feb 10, 2012, 11:01 GMT
Manila - A group of 21 Filipino sailors have been seized by Somali pirates off Yemen in the latest kidnapping on the seas of Africa and the Middle East, the Philippine government said Friday.
The Filipino sailors were crew members of a Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the MV Free Goddess. They were kidnapped Tuesday off the western coast of the Socotra Islands, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
The kidnapping brought to 47 the number of Filipino seafarers being held by armed groups off the coast of Somalia.
Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Raul Hernandez said the closest Philippine embassy, its mission in Bahrain, was coordinating with the US-led counterpiracy Combined Maritime Forces in monitoring the situation and negotiations to free the Filipinos.
The Philippines, which supplies a third of the world's seafarers, does not negotiate or pay ransom to kidnappers but gives ship owners a free hand in negotiating for the release of abducted Filipino sailors.
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