TWO Filipino seafarers aboard a tanker that an armed group tried to hijack in the Gulf of Aden Sunday are safe, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers said yesterday.
The tanker, which had been carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid, was identified as the Central Park by the vessel’s company.
US defense officials said the Liberian-flagged tanker is owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime.
The commercial tanker made a distress call and a US Navy warship responded, US officials said but did not identify the attackers.
Last week, 17 Filipino seafarers were taken hostage, along with other foreign crewmen, after Yemen’s Houthi rebels hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo vessel in a crucial Red Sea shipping route last week.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega declined to provide additional information on the two Filipino seamen aboard the Central Park but said “all are safe.”
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said, “We welcome a report from the US Naval Institute (USNI) that at least two Filipino seafarers on board a hijacking incident in the Gulf of Aden are now safe and accounted for.”
“US Naval Forces thwarted the hijacking attempt and rendered both the ship and crew safe and free,” it added.
The DMW said it has reached out to the family and relatives of the Filipino seafarers.
With two hijacking incidents in two weeks involving vessels with Filipino crew members, the DMW said it is considering “declaring certain areas in the Red Sea as high-risk zones for Filipino seafarers.”
The DMW was referring to last week’s hijacking of cargo vessel Galaxy Leader, wherein 17 Filipino seafarers are listed as crew members.
Sen. Imee Marcos asked the DFA and the DMW to come up with a “long-term strategy” to negotiate for the release of abducted Filipino seafarers as the Israeli-Hamas conflict expands beyond the Gaza Strip.
Marcos, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said Filipino seafarers could become “collateral damage” as they now face higher risks as Israel’s attacks in Gaza could draw in more militant groups seeking to avenge the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.
“There’s no end in sight to this conflict and more Filipino seafarers could become collateral damage. The ongoing truce to release hostages on both sides is temporary,” she said.
She also urged the DFA to take great care in its diplomatic positions, especially as a member of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), adding that the Philippines’ abstention from a UNGA resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in Israel’s attacks in Gaza “has not gone unnoticed” among Arab nations and could affect future negotiations on the release of Filipino hostages.
“Our alliance with the United States and its foreign policies in the ongoing conflict complicate our own. But Filipino interests come first and must be upheld,” she added.
Filipino seafarers comprise 25 percent of those employed in the global maritime industry, with almost half a million serving on cargo and cruise ships.
The sea hijackings took place in the Red Sea and the adjoining Gulf of Aden – a crucial shipping route connecting Europe with the Middle East and Asia.
ESCAPE ATTEMPT
The US military, in a statement, said the USS Mason, with help from allied ships, demanded that the commercial ship Central Park be released by the attackers.
Five armed individuals tried to escape on a fast boat but were chased by the US warship and they eventually surrendered.
The statement added that two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi controlled parts of Yemen towards the general direction of the Mason and Central Park, but they landed about 10 nautical miles away from them and there was no damage or injuries.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since a brutal war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out on Oct. 7.
It followed a seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Yemen Houthis, allies of Iran, in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, vowed to target more Israeli vessels.
Central Park, a small chemical tanker (19,998 metric tons), is managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company owned by Israel’s Ofer family. The Liberian-flagged vessel was built in 2015 and is owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc, LSEG data showed.
Zodiac Maritime said in a statement that Central Park, which is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid, was involved in a suspected piracy incident while crossing international waters, approximately 54 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.
Phosphoric acid is mostly used for fertilizers.
“Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew onboard. The Turkish captained vessel has a multinational crew consisting of a crew of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals,” the statement added.
There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.
Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Sunday it was aware of a possible attack in southwest Aden and called on other vessels to exercise caution.
The US has blamed Iran for unclaimed attacks on several vessels in the region in the past few years. Tehran has denied involvement.
A container ship managed by an Israeli-controlled company was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, a U.S.
defense official said on Saturday.
Hamas fighters rampaged into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people. Since then, Israel has rained bombs on Gaza, killing about 14,000 people, roughly 40% of them children, Palestinian health authorities say.
Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals arrived in Israel early on Sunday after a second release of hostages held by Hamas following an initial delay caused by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza. — Ashzel Hachero, Gerard Naval, Raymond Africa and Reuters
