US Navy thwarts hijacking attempt; 2 Pinoys safe
TWO FILIPINO crew members of an Israel-linked ship sailing in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen have been marked safe after the United States (US) Navy thwarted a hijacking attempt by five suspected Houthi rebels at the weekend, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Monday.
The rebels on Nov. 26 boarded and tried to seize the M/V Central Park, which is owned by an Israeli businessman, the agency said, citing a report from the US Naval Institute
The five pirates were put under US Navy custody after its warship and a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship came to the merchant ship’s aid.
The M/V Central Park is a Liberian-flagged ship owned by Israeli business magnate Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime, Reuters reported.
“The DMW has reached out to the vessel’s manning and shipping agencies to provide the department with a full report of the incident,” it said.
The agency said it is considering declaring certain areas in the Red Sea as high-risk zones for Filipino seafarers due to attacks by the Iran-backed Islamist Houthis group.
Last week, 17 Filipino seamen were taken hostage after Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is operated by the Houthis group, released a video showing Houthi forces descending from a helicopter and seizing the Japanese Nippon Yusen K.K. cargo ship in the southern part of the Red Sea on Nov. 20.
The Houthis described the ship as Israeli, Reuters reported on Nov. 20. The group also seized a British-owned cargo ship that had been sailing through the southern Red Sea.
On Saturday, DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac told a news briefing his agency has been coordinating with the cargo ship’s manning agency and the families of the 17 hostages to work on their release and safe return to the Philippines.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo A. de Vega on Nov. 24 told a news briefing the rebels were unlikely to demand a ransom since the group was making a “political gesture.”
“If the question is if we are paying ransom, no,” he said. “This works since the hostages are eventually released, it’s not the first time they’ve done it.”
Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree earlier said the ship’s seizure was in response to “heinous acts” against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes in Gaza after Hamas militants backed by waves of rockets stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 Israelis.
More than 14,000 people have died in the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza government. At least four Filipinos have died.
Last week, Israel and Hamas entered into a four-day truce, with the latter releasing 24 hostages, including a Filipino caregiver, on Nov. 24. The Filipino is under the custody of the Philippine Embassy in Israel.
Under the deal, the truce could be extended if more hostages are released at a rate of 10 daily. Israel also agreed to release 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.
Hamas seized about 240 hostages during the October attack.
At least 256 Filipinos have come home from Israel, the DMW said on Nov. 17. Mr. De Vega earlier said 111 of the 137 Filipinos in Gaza have returned to the Philippines.
The US might designate the group as a terrorist organization after the incident, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby earlier said.
US President Joseph R. Biden delisted the group as a “foreign terrorist organization” and “specially designated global terrorists” in 2021, over fears of worsening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
Yemen has the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 21.6 million of the population being dependent on aid, according to the United Nations.
“The Department has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and partners in the international maritime and shipping industry to ensure the safety of Filipino seafarers in the region,” DMW said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez