Sunday, July 16, 2006
Twenty Filipino seamen held hostage since March 29 by pirates in Mogadishu, Somalia have been released, ABS-CBN News learned.
In the report, Ambassador Roy Cimatu, special envoy to the Middle East, said that after nearly four months in captivity, the sailors led by a certain Captain Bwaya are now on board a ship, M/T Lin, being escorted out of Mogadishu.
Cimatu said that as of 8 p.m. Sunday, the ship is already 56 nautical miles away from Mogadishu. The ship is already in international waters and will soon be met by another ship to escort them back to the United Arab Emirates.
The Lin is owned by Acron Shipping Lines located in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
The seamen were released near Mogadishu in Somalia on Saturday at 8 p.m. (Somalia time). They are expected to reach the company’s port in Fujairah in a week.
Source: ABS-CBN News, July 16, 2006