GMANews
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Ambassador to the Philippines Christian Weber-Lortsch said Germany opts to address the problem with Somali pirates in “peaceful means."
“‘Peaceful means’ means there is no casualty in terms of life and health, maybe casualty in terms of money," Lortsch said during the press launch of the Mabuhay Germany 2009 trade expo on Wednesday.
The diplomat made the remark as Somali pirates continued to hold 42 Filipino seafarers who are crew members of three foreign-owned vessels.
Filipinos are considered the most vulnerable to sea pirates as one-third of the world’s shipping manpower requirement, or an estimated 350,000 seafarers, are supplied by the Philippines.
In 2008, of more than 600 crew of 44 ships held for ransom by pirates in various parts of the world, at least 208 were Filipinos seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
All Filipino captives have been freed eventually, but this year, Somali pirates also seized 233 Filipinos on board 16 vessels. Forty-two remain in captivity.
Like the Philippines, Lortsch said the German government doesn’t directly negotiate with the pirates. But he admitted that ultimately the “private companies decide" how to solve the crisis.
Last month, Somali pirates released the German-owned ship Hansa Stavanger after holding it and its crew for 121 days. An undisclosed amount was allegedly paid as ransom.
Its crew of two Filipinos, one German, three Russians and two Ukrainians were captured 670 kilometers off the southern Somali port of Kismayu on April 4.
In September 2008, another German-owned ship, the BBC Trinidad, was released along with nine Filipino seafarers after being held by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa.
One of the longest-held ship by Somali pirates was the Philippine-flagged MT Stolt Strength, which was hijacked off Somalia last Nov. 10 with its 23 all-Filipino crew. The ship and its crew were freed on April 21 after families of the crew pressured the ship owner to do something.
The Stolt Strength's owner, just like most ship owners worldwide, has kept silent about speculations that ransom exchanged hands. But there were some who officials of the shipping industry who said paying ransom is the only way to go.
Malacañang has confirmed that a group of Somali pirates is asking for $2.8 million or almost P137 million in exchange for the release of the Greek-owned MV Irene and its 22 all-Filipino crew.
Capt. Tomas Awiszut, a representative of ship owner Beluga Shipping, has also admitted that the company paid ransom to the pirates. When asked how much they paid, Awiszut said they gave “around $1 million."
“For the ship owner, paying ransom was the only way," Awiszut said. [See: Pirates of the Somali waters: Curse of the Filipino Seafarers]
Lortsch said Germany, which has the second biggest trading fleet in the world, has sent some ships off the Somali coast to patrol against pirates. The US and Japan have also sent vessels to patrol these waters.
Some ship owners, who are often forced to shell out millions of dollars in ransom, have initiated steps to curb the expensive hijackings of their ships.
Fujio Sekiguchi, president of shipping company Koyo Kaiun, the dilemma could be avoided by just letting his ships sail through the southern tip of Africa.
He said the route may be longer but passing through the Gulf of Aden could be more expensive if pirates seize his ships.
Experts say the much longer journey adds 12 to 15 days to a tanker's trip at a cost of between $20,000-$30,000 a day.
Alarmed by the spate of attacks and abductions on Filipino seafarers, the Philippine government responded by coordinating with ship owners and manning agencies to begin negotiations with the pirates and speed up the release of the kidnapped crew.
Manning agencies, such as Manila-based BSM Crew Service Centre Philippines Inc., have intensified their pre-departure orientation seminar for seafarers to prepare aspiring seamen for the risks involved when boarding a ship.
“Filipino seafarers are aware of what awaits them at sea," said BSM president Narcissus Duran. “We just prepare them but they all know it."
Ship officials are also required to take the ship security officers training, which tells the captain to shoot pirates with a fire hose rather than a gun; while crew members undergo a ship security awareness program. - GMANews.TV