Manila, Philippines – Twenty-four Filipino crew members of the Cyprus-flagged and -owned MV Pacific Express that successfully repelled a pirate attack last September 20 arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Thursday aboard an Emirates flight from Mombasa, Kenya.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), a Filipino seaman stayed behind in Mombasa to assess the pirate-inflicted damage suffered by the vessel as well as conduct a property inventory.
The container vessel was attacked by armed pirates approximately 180 nautical miles east-southeast of Mombasa, prompting the vessel’s captain to send a distress call that alerted the navy vessel Andreadoria to come to its rescue.
The pirates abandoned the vessel and its crew members upon the arrival of the navy vessel. (Roy C. Mabasa)