On the Kidnapping of 10 Filipino Seafarers in Gulf of Guinea

31 October 2018 — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has been informed that 10 Filipino seafarers are in the hands of suspected pirates who hijacked two vessels in the Gulf of Guinea.

Ambassador to Nigeria Shirley Ho-Vicario reported to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. that two Filipino seafarers on board a Liberian-flagged container ship were among 11 crewmembers kidnapped by pirates who boarded their vessel on Saturday, 27 October.

Ambassador Vicario said another eight Filipino seafarers on a Panamanian-registered tanker along with nine other crewmembers remain unaccounted for after their vessel was hijacked by pirates on Monday, 29 October.

Ambassador Vicario said the Embassy is exerting efforts to establish the whereabouts of the 10 seafarers and secure their safe release. It was not immediately clear if the seafarers were taken by the same group of pirates who abducted seven Filipinos on board a Swiss-flagged vessel off Nigerian waters last month.

The seven were released on Sunday, 28 October. END