MANILA, Philippines – A ranking government official ordered either the cancellation or suspension of the licenses of recruiters of 23 Filipino sailors who have been held captive by Somali pirates since their vessel was hijacked on November 11, 2008.
A visibly irate Vice President Noli de Castro ordered the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to crack down on the recruiters after learning of the sad plight of the 23 Filipino captives from members of their families.
The wife of one of the Filipino seamen went on TV to denounce the recruiters for not doing anything to secure their release although they have been held captive by the Somali pirates for four months now.
De Castro, the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), admitted that he only came to know of the predicament of the 23 sailors when he saw the wife go on TV to appeal for government help.
He also said he was surprised that the incident has remained unresolved although their hijacking was one of the earliest reported to Philippine authorities.
The hostages are crewmen of the “M/T Stolt Strength,” a time-charter vessel hijacked on November 11, 2008 in the Gulf of Aden.
Based on records at the POEA, the 23 sailors were recruited by the Sea Cap Shipping Incorporated as the local manning agency for Sagana Shipping Incorporated as the principal.
The same records showed that the vessel bears the Philippine flag and managed by Victoria Ship Management, a firm based in Manila, but on a long-term charter to Stolt Nielsen.
De Castro said he ordered the POEA to tell the recruiters to do everything to secure the release of the hostages and bring them home safely.
“Should such efforts be found insufficient to assure the safety of our OFWs, I want the licenses of these companies revoked or suspended,” he emphasized.
In this connection, De Castro noted that all other manning agencies and their principals have already secured the safe release of their crewmen, including Filipinos, who have been hijacked in Somalia.
In June 2008, the UN Security Council voted to allow international warships to enter Somali waters to combat the problem.
But security experts acknowledged that because of its 1,880-mile coastline, the longest in Africa, much of the area remain unpoliced, leaving the vessels passing through at the mercy of Somali pirates.
For this reason, the Philippine government has implemented a double hazard pay scheme for Filipino seafarers who will be sailing through the Gulf of Aden, which has been declared by the POEA as a “risk zone.”
At the same time, the Filipino crewmen have been given the option to either continue with their voyage or disembark in a safe port if their vessel will pass through the Gulf of Aden.
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