PH cargo ship crew thwarts attempted piracy in southern waters

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MANILA, Philippines — The quick-thinking crew of a Philippine cargo ship thwarted a possible a hijacking or robbery at sea Saturday in the country’s volatile southern region by locking themselves in their quarters, the coast guard said.

About eight men on two motorized outriggers boarded the MV Cecilia off Davao del Sur province, but the crew quickly locked all the vessel’s hatches and windows, said Commodore Joselito dela Cruz, a coast guard district commander on the main southern island of Mindanao.

He said the suspected pirates left empty-handed before a coast guard vessel arrived at the site, near Balut Island.

Dela Cruz said it was unrelated to the kidnapping last month of two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipino woman from Samal Island, a resort island less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) away.

“We can say that this is an isolated incident,” he said.

There has been no word on the fate of the four Samal kidnap victims.

An Italian businessman who once served as a Roman Catholic missionary also was kidnapped earlier this week in Dipolog city in southern Zamboanga del Norte province. No group has claimed responsibility for kidnappings, although suspicion has fallen heavily on militants from the Abu Sayyaf group which operates in the region.