Ten Filipino sailors were among 23 crew members of an Iranian-owned cargo ship abducted by suspected Somali pirates off the coast of India last week, the Philippine government said Thursday. The MV Eglantine was hijacked on March 26 off the south-western coast of India, said Raul Hernandez, spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The kidnapping brought to 57 the number of Filipino seafarers being held by pirates active off the coast of Somalia. Hernandez said the Philippine embassy in Iran has been instructed to keep track of the negotiations for the release of the sailors by the vessel's owner, Tehran-based KISH Shipping. The Philippines, which supplies a third of the world's seafarers, does not negotiate or pay ransoms to kidnappers but gives ship owners a free hand in negotiating for the release of abducted Filipino sailors.
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