MANILA, Philippines — Newly-elected International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Koji Sekimizu is scheduled to visit Manila in February to confer with senior Philippine government officials on the various approaches that can be pursued to resolve the piracy threat off Somalia.

The Philippines will be the first country he will visit after his scheduled meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York this month.

Currently, there are 26 Filipino seafarers on board three vessels which have remained in the hands of Somali pirates. The longest one in detention is a crew member of M/V Iceberg I which was hijacked last March 29, 2010 off the Port of Aden in Yemen.

In their participation at meetings to combat piracy in IMO, the UN, and in various track-two fora, Philippine government officials have been advocating the importance of promoting the safety of seafarers held hostage by pirates. This advocacy has been supported by other governments.

Pending the resolution of the piracy problem, the Philippines now allows the deployment of private armed guards by Philippine shipping companies with vessels operating off Somalia, subject to their adherence to strict guidelines promulgated by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and IMO.

In his recent meeting with General Sekimizu, Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, concurrently Philippine Permanent Representative to the IMO, highlighted the importance placed by the Philippine Government in promoting the welfare of Filipino seafarers and protecting them from the continuing threat of piracy off Somalia.

Manalo was the first Permanent Representative to be received by the IMO Secretary General after the latter's assumption last January 1.

The importance of this meeting was highlighted by the presence of IMO's highest officials, namely Assistant Secretary General Rosalie Balkin, Assistant Secretary General Andy Winbow, and Chief of Staff Jasper Loldrup.

Manalo offered the full support of the Philippine Government to the Secretary General's initiatives and directions in combating the piracy problem.

For his part, Sekimizu appreciated the concern of the Philippines, recognizing that it is the primary provider of seafarers to the international shipping community.

The IMO chief indicated that the problem of piracy must be addressed cooperatively by IMO, the UN, and other concerned agencies and organizations and emphasized the importance for IMO to take the lead in addressing this piracy menace. He added that the problem of piracy would be more effectively addressed if resources could be channelled to support and strengthen the government institutions in Somalia.

Doing so can eradicate the roots of the piracy problem on their shore rather than for the international community to continue relying on naval protection for merchant vessels traversing high-risk areas off Somalia, he said.

In a related development, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations Evan Garcia recently deposited the Philippine Instrument of Ratification on ILO C185 Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention 2003 at the ILO Headquartes in Geneva.

The C185 provides seafarers with a valid seafarers' identity document that will facilitate their entry into ports for temporary shore leave or when joining their ship or transferring to another ship. The convention will benefit some 250,000 Filipino seafares now employed in foreign vessels.