DailySkew PSA: Greek Ship with Filipino Crew Hijacked by Somali Pirates (My brother-in-law)
The following is a blog post from Damian Hospital:
Jolan Besana, my sister-in-law's husband, is one of the members of the MT Centauri, a Greece-owned cargo ship. Somalian pirates armed with rocket launchers took over the ship, that has a crew of 25 or 26 Filipinos. This happened off the southern coast of Somalia. The cargo is carrying 17,000 tons of salt, and the crew and ship is being held for ransom, with the threat of death.
The pirates hijacked the ship on Wednesday night. My wife's sister no longer has any more tears left.
The Gulf of Aden- which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean- was the only route the MT Centauri could have made to get back home, and it is one of the world's busiest waterways (off Mogadishu). The ship had been en route to Kenya to unload the salt.
Piracy continues to be a world wide problem, and the United Nations needs to be more involved to patrol certain waters, especially off Africa's coast.
Negotiations are taking place between the terrorists and the Greece owned shipping company. International maritime authorities are also involved. The Philippines, which can't legally give into the demands, have been trying to ban Filipino seamen to work near African coasts. In other words, it's up to private firms to raise money to get the sailors back. A German firm recently gave $1 million dollars for the release of only 8 sailors.
Somalia has said that the seafarers remain unharmed. Around 80 Filipinos are still being held hostage in Somalia from previous kidnappings.
I happen to know that Jolan always gave food and money to African workers who helped him unload cargo in previous trips, and that he truly has a great and generous heart. He is a sailor because it is the only way he can support his family, as he had great electronic and mechanical skills that makes him a valuable crew member.
I am asking for your prayers for his safe recovery home, as he has 3 children in General Santos City in the Philippines, Jola, Jericho, and Julian. Today is Jolan's birthday, and it's heartbreaking a good man is being held captive.
Damian Hospital and Jolan Besana's first encounter in Feb. 2006
Jolan Besana, my sister-in-law's husband, is one of the members of the MT Centauri, a Greece-owned cargo ship. Somalian pirates armed with rocket launchers took over the ship, that has a crew of 25 or 26 Filipinos. This happened off the southern coast of Somalia. The cargo is carrying 17,000 tons of salt, and the crew and ship is being held for ransom, with the threat of death.
The pirates hijacked the ship on Wednesday night. My wife's sister no longer has any more tears left.
The Gulf of Aden- which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean- was the only route the MT Centauri could have made to get back home, and it is one of the world's busiest waterways (off Mogadishu). The ship had been en route to Kenya to unload the salt.
Piracy continues to be a world wide problem, and the United Nations needs to be more involved to patrol certain waters, especially off Africa's coast.
Negotiations are taking place between the terrorists and the Greece owned shipping company. International maritime authorities are also involved. The Philippines, which can't legally give into the demands, have been trying to ban Filipino seamen to work near African coasts. In other words, it's up to private firms to raise money to get the sailors back. A German firm recently gave $1 million dollars for the release of only 8 sailors.
Somalia has said that the seafarers remain unharmed. Around 80 Filipinos are still being held hostage in Somalia from previous kidnappings.
I happen to know that Jolan always gave food and money to African workers who helped him unload cargo in previous trips, and that he truly has a great and generous heart. He is a sailor because it is the only way he can support his family, as he had great electronic and mechanical skills that makes him a valuable crew member.
I am asking for your prayers for his safe recovery home, as he has 3 children in General Santos City in the Philippines, Jola, Jericho, and Julian. Today is Jolan's birthday, and it's heartbreaking a good man is being held captive.
Damian Hospital and Jolan Besana's first encounter in Feb. 2006posted by Skew | Friday, September 19, 2008
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home