The Philippine military found the bodies of three sailors who were abducted on two separate occasions over nine months ago, piracy watchdog ReCAAP said.
On July 5, 2017, the bodies of two abducted crew of bulk carrier Royal 16 were found at Sitio Limbutulan, Sumisip Basilan Province.
The 5,610-dwt bulker was boarded on November 11, 2016 by ten armed men who abducted six crew members and wounded two. The attack occurred off Sibago Island.
In June, the Philippine troops rescued one crew member of the Vietnam-flagged bulk carrier who was held in captivity for more than seven months. The three remaining crew members are believed to still be in captivity.
On 7 July 7, 2017, the Philippine troops while conducting military operations in Patikul Sulu recovered a cadaver which was later identified as one of the abducted crew of bulk carrier Giang Hai. A group of armed men boarded Giang Hai on 19 Feb 2017, abducted six of its crew and killed one while underway.
The 4,739-DWT MV Giang Hai was boarded northwest of Doc Can Island, while the vessel was underway from Indonesia to Iloilo Port, the Philippines.
17 crewmembers of the 25-men bulk carrier were rescued by the country’s authorities.
The attack occurred in an area close to the stronghold of Abu Sayyaf militant group, which has been involved in kidnappings of sailors for ransom.
According to ReCAAP, during January-July 2017, a total of 11 crew had been abducted from ships while underway in the SuluCelebes Sea and waters off Eastern Sabah.
Of the 11 crew, two had been rescued, two killed and seven are still in captivity.
A total of 39 incidents were reported during January-July 2017 in Asia, of which 33 were actual incidents and six were attempted incidents, the watchdog said.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.