Piracy off the coast of Somalia is intensifying by the day. One of the worst-affected countries is the Philippines, which is the world's leading supplier of crews, with over 350,000 Filipinos working on sea vessels worldwide. On Tuesday, after nearly five months of captivity, Somali pirates released a Philippine chemical tanker and its 23 crew members. But Manila says there are still 100 Filipinos among the nearly 300 seamen held by Somali pirates. Manila has now imposed a ban on the deployment of its sailors on vessels passing near Somali waters.
An estimated 100 Filipinos are currently held hostage by pirates off the Somali coastImage: AP
