DMW: 21 of 22 Pinoy seafarers in Houthi-hit ship rescued

Twenty one of the 22 Filipino seafarers of a ship that was attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea were brought to safety, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Saturday.

"As of around 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. last night, combined international forces rescued and extracted the 21 Filipino seafarers from the ship, which was immobilized but stable, and they were boarded on security forces ship and taken to safer port," Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

Cacdac refused to disclose details on the current whereabouts of the rescued Filipino seafarers from the MV Tutor for security reasons.

"But rest assured, the 21 Filipino seafarers are safe," the Migrant Workers chief said.

The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, condemned the attack and called on members of the United Nations "to protect the human rights of seafarers."

In a video message on Friday, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the Filipino seafarers of the MV Tutor would be transported to Djibouti as the government finds ways to send them back to the Philippines.

The President had said that Manila was working closely with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations regarding the matter.

Remaining Pinoy seafarer

As for the remaining crew of the MV Tutor, Cacdac said the seafarer remains inside the abandoned Liberia-flagged coal carrier.

"We are still searching for him… We were assured they will not stop in terms of locating our missing seafarer who is just within the ship," Cacdac said.

"There will be a salvaging operation of the ship… teams will go back to the ship to find the missing seafarer," Cacdac said, adding that all the crew members of the MV Tutor were Filipinos.

Reuters quoted maritime sources and the DMW as saying that the missing crew member was believed to be trapped in the engine room.

The Houthis have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Drifting at sea

The attack near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah on Wednesday caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room and left Tutor unable to manoeuvre.

It was the third Houthi attack on a ship manned by Filipino seafarers since last year, with two Philippine sailors dying and 17 still held by militants, government data show.

Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for the missile strike on Tutor and another vessel, Verbena, in the Gulf of Aden, over the past days. Their attacks also damaged two other ships in the last week, "marking a significant increase in effectiveness," British security firm Ambrey said.

The Houthis have used drones and missiles to assault ships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. They have sunk one ship, seized another vessel and killed three seafarers in separate attacks.

"This situation cannot go on," International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.

Towing the ship

Tutor is not sinking and can be safely towed away, Cacdac said after a meeting with the ship's manning agency. He added that Filipino seafarers have the right to refuse boarding in ships passing through Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The ship's Athens-based manager Evalend Shipping has not responded to Reuters' requests for comment.

Tsavliris Salvage Group has been assigned to tow the ship, which is carrying 80,000 tonnes of coal, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The project will involve two vessels. The first is expected to reach Tutor on Monday morning and the second on Tuesday evening.

The Houthis' air and sea campaign has disrupted global shipping, causing delays and costs to cascade through supply chains. At least 65 countries and major energy and shipping companies—including Shell SHEL.L, BP BP.L, Maersk MAERSKb.CO and Cosco—have been affected, according to a report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.

INTERCARGO, which represents dry cargo ship owners, urged states to enhance maritime security in the area.

"We demand that all involved parties cease their deliberate and targeted attacks on innocent seafarers with immediate effect," it said. — with a report from Reuters/ VDV, GMA Integrated News