Philippine authorities have reportedly rescued a further seafarer taken hostage last November from a Vietnamese bulker.
The unnamed man was one of the six crewmembers abducted from the 5,600-dwt Royal 16 (built 2011) by a group 10 armed men.
He was reportedly discovered during military operations on 20 August in the vicinity of Mataja Island, Basilan province.
Details of the rescue came from the Singapore-based Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre.
One of the Royal 16’s abducted crewmembers was rescued on 16 June this year by Philippine government troops in Sumipsip, Basilan.
However, just three weeks later the Philippine military found the bodies of another two of Royal 16’s abducted crew. The men had been beheaded.
To date, the last two members of the Royal 16 crew are still being held in captivity.
The attack on the Vietnamese-flagged bulker took place off Sibago Island, near Lamitan City in the south-west Philippines.
