Manila pins hopes on UN security body In freeing Pinoy crew of supertanker held by Somali pirates

11/22/2008

The Philippine government is leaving it to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to free the crew of a supertanker, 19 of whom are Filipinos, who are being held hostage by Somali pirates who hijacked the vessel last weekend.

On Saturday, pirates operating off the coast of Kenya or Tanzania, at least 450 nautical miles from their homeland seized their biggest prize to date with the Sirius Star, a Saudi-owned supertanker laden with crude oil.

The bandits on Thursday gave the owners of the $150-million tanker, which was carrying $100-million worth of oil, 10 days to pay a $25-million ransom or they would face “disastrous consequences.”

After taking over control of the crude tanker, which was as big as three soccer fields, the pirates took the vessel to Harardhere, 300 kilometers north of lawless Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Claro Cristobal yesterday said as Somalia has no government with which the Philippine government can coordinate with on the hijacking of the Sirius Star, Manila can only hope that the UN Security Council would be able to succeed in obtaining the release of the vessel’s 25-member crew, including 19 Filipinos.

Cristobal said the Philippine government cannot be directly involved in the negotiations for the release of the Filipino seafarers because it has such a policy that includes not paying any ransom being demanded by any hostage-taking group.

Since July, Somali pirates have captured 16 foreign vessels with 182 Filipino seamen on board in separate hijacking incidents in Somalia. Of the 16, 10 vessels and 74 Filipino crewmen have been released while six ships with 108 Filipinos on board remain in captivity.

On Thursday, the UNSC passed a resolution imposing sanctions on anyone contributing to violence and instability in Somalia.

The British-drafted resolution calls for asset freezes and travel bans for anyone engaging in or supporting violence in Somalia, including individuals or companies that violate a 1992 UN arms embargo against the country.

The UNSC also deplored the growing wave of piracy off Somalia’s coast, in which at least 35 ships have been seized this year and over 600 sailors taken hostage for ransom.

The United States circulated a draft to extend a June council resolution authorizing states to enter Somali waters to combat pirates when it falls due next month.

It also addresses the problem of legal jurisdiction over captured pirates by urging countries to join the 1988 SUA convention, which obliges signatories to extradite or prosecute them.

German Defense Minister Franz Josef said the jurisdictional issue was crucial, since some countries had been forced to release captured pirates due to lack of legal clarity.

“We need a clear operational plan and clear rules of engagement, and we have to agree on what to do when pirates are captured,” Jung said. Germany hopes to join an EU anti-piracy fleet expected to reach the Horn of Africa next month.

Many envoys linked the piracy with the chaos on land.

“This piracy will never be settled until we address the situation in Somalia,” South Africa’s Dumisani Kumalo said. Riza Recio, with Tribune wires

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