Nine Filipino sailors abducted off Gulf of Guinea: DFA

October 31, 2018

Ten Filipino sailors were seized by gunmen off the Gulf of Guinea in two separate hijacking incidents, the Department of Foreign Affairs ( DFA) said Wednesday.

Two Filipino seafarers on a Liberian-flagged container ship were among 11 crew kidnapped by pirates who boarded their vessel on October 27, a DFA statement said, citing a report from the Philippine embassy in Nigeria.

Eight Filipino sailors of a Panamanian-registered tanker along with nine crew are unaccounted for after their vessel was seized by pirates on October 29.

"It was not clear if the seafarers were taken by the same group of pirates who abducted seven Filipinos on board a Swiss-flagged vessel off Nigerian waters last month," the DFA said.

The seven were released on Sunday. DMS