Filipino sailor killed in Houthi attack on cargo ship — White House

WASHINGTON - A Filipino sailor was killed when Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked a bulk cargo carrier last week, the White House said Monday, condemning their actions as terrorism.

The Iran-backed Houthis have launched dozens of drone and missile strikes in the vital shipping zones of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November, describing them as retaliation for the Israel-Hamas war.

But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Filipino seaman killed was on the M/V Tutor, a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned ship that had "nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza."

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) considers the seaman as missing, according to a report on Unang Balita.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) meanwhile has yet to issue a statement regarding the matter.

The M/V Tutor suffered serious flooding and was abandoned after it was struck by a sea drone off rebel-held Hodeida on Wednesday, according to a security agency operated by the British navy.

Kirby also said that a Sri Lankan crew member was critically wounded in a separate Houthi attack on Thursday on the M/V Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated ship.

"This is pure terrorism. There's simply no other word for it. The Houthi claim of supporting Gazans is meritless," Kirby told reporters.

He also referenced newly announced US sanctions that the State Department said will target three individuals and six entities involved in the Houthi's weapons procurement network.

The State Department said Monday the sanctions targets "have enabled Houthi forces to generate revenue and acquire a range of materials needed to manufacture the advanced weaponry they use to conduct ongoing terrorist attacks against US and allied interests."

Aside from the fatality, 21 other Filipino crewmen were onboard M/V Tutor and were all pronounced safe from the Houthi attack. They arrived in the Philippines on Monday.

In a press briefing following their arrival, Christian Domrique, captain of M/V Tutor, recalled the incident, saying the Houthi rebels used fishing boats as dummies in the attack.

“Nung malapit na, dummy pala, sobrang bilis po nya. Lumiko tapos hinabol kami…’Yung sumunod po na pagsabog ay around 13:00 attack by drone naman sa kabilang side ng barko,” said Domrique. 

(The dummy was fast. It maneuvered before chasing us. A drone attack also occurred at 13:00 on the other side of our ship.)

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

The DMW in April prohibited the deployment of Filipino seafarers on passenger and cruise ships that are set to traverse the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 

Department Order (DO) No. 2 signed by DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac states that all Filipino seafarers to be employed for passenger and cruise vessels shall not be allowed to sail in the two bodies of water that were recently included in the list of high-risk areas and war-like zones.

Under the DO, licensed manning agencies (LMAs) are required to sign an affirmation letter guaranteeing that the ship that will be boarded by the Filipino seafarers will not navigate the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden. 

Filipino seafarers listed as crew members must likewise sign an affirmation letter acknowledging that their vessel will not enter the two areas. 

This letter, along with the vessel’s detailed itinerary, must be submitted to the DMW during the documentation of crew employment contracts or before their deployment. It will be uploaded to the DMW’s Online Processing System for Sea-based, along with the processed Standard Employment Contract. — Agence France-Presse with GMA Integrated News