Efforts are now under way to secure the safe release of four Filipino crew members of a chemical tanker who were among those kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea last March 11, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.
This statement came after reports indicated that the ship manager of the Chemical tanker MT Davide B has made contact with the 15 crew members currently being held hostage by pirates.
Reports quoting De Poli Shipmanagement confirmed that the crew are together and “doing well under the difficult circumstances.”
“Families have been informed and the efforts are under way to secure the crew members’ safe release,” DFA Executive Director for Strategic Communications Ivy Banzon-Abalos said in a message to reporters.
The seafarers were abducted from the chemical tanker on March 11 in the Gulf of Guinea, approximately 210 nautical miles south of Cotonou, Benin.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Italy-based De Poli Shipmanagement expressed its commitment to do everything possible to secure the earliest and safe release of its seafarers, which remains its “overriding priority.”
The MT Davide B was en route from Riga, Latvia to Lagos, Nigeria when attacked by pirates. The tanker is flying the Maltese flag.
It was also learned that the company has been in touch with the families of the kidnapped seafarers and has provided them with updates on the situation.