Somali pirates free 14 Filipino seamen
-A A +ATuesday, March 12, 2013
FOURTEEN Filipino seafarers along with 12 other foreign crew members of a Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged oil tanker have been released after 10 months in captivity by the Somali pirates, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
The M/T Smyrni and its crew were freed last March 9 after the vessel was hijacked on May 10, 2012 off the coast of Oman, the agency said.
"All of the crew members are in good physical condition," the DFA said citing the report of the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi.
The vessel and its crew are now en route to Salalah, Oman. The Filipino crew members will be met and assisted there by representatives of the Philippine Embassy in Muscat and their manning agency.
The crew will undergo medical check-up as soon as they arrive at the Port of Salalah.
The next-of-kin of the Filipino crew members have already been informed of their release and the Embassy in Muscat will facilitate their immediate repatriation, the DFA said.
Nine Filipino seafarers from two ships are still being held captive by Somali pirates. (SDR/Sunnex)
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