5 Filipino sailors from Houthi-hit MV Transworld Navigator back in PH

Five of the 27 Filipino crew members of a bulk carrier recently targeted by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have arrived in Manila on Sunday afternoon, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said. 

The seafarers, composing the first batch, arrived safely at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 via Emirates airline EK 332. The second batch is expected to arrive on Tuesday.

According to the DMW, the repatriated seafarers received financial support and other forms of assistance from the government, and were also assured of sustained support in their reintegration. 

The first batch was welcomed by DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac, along with DMW Assistant Secretary for sea-based overseas Filipino worker (OFW) concerns Jerome Pampolina and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Administrator Honey Quiño, upon arrival. 

The 27 Filipino seafarers were on board MV Transworld Navigator when it was attacked by Houthi rebels while traversing the Red Sea last week. 

The repatriation was in coordination with the MV Transworld Navigator’s licensed manning agency and the shipowner. 

The DMW in April issued an order prohibiting 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 No. 2,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 (SEC). —Giselle Ombay/KBK, GMA Integrated News