More than three months after they were seized by Somali pirates in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, 18 Filipino seafarers of a Japanese-owned tanker returned to the country from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Monday afternoon.
Arriving aboard Emirates Airlines flight EK-332, the seamen were warmly greeted by their families who had to wait for almost an hour for their plane to touch down around 4:15 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
“I’m very happy I survived to be with my wife and our family,” an emotional Ariel Gamao told reporters as he held his wife Lolit in a tight embrace.
“I thank God for giving me a second lease on life,” Gamao said, crying.
Together with five South Korean crew members of M/T Chemstar Venus, the Filipino seamen were held captive for 97 days by Somali pirates who hijacked their ship on November 14 last year, as they were passing the seawaters off lawless Somalia.
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