5 Filipino seafarers rescued after attack on ship in Red Sea; search for others ongoing

Metro Manila, Philippines - Five Filipino seafarers have been rescued from the MV Eternity C, which sank after it was attacked off Yemen, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said Wednesday evening, July 9.

In a virtual briefing, Cacdac said the seafarers are “safe and sound,” without disclosing their identities and location. He added they “might have some injuries.”

The MV Eternity C, a Liberia-flagged and Greek-operated bulk carrier, was attacked Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired by armed personnel from speed boats.

Cacdac said a search and rescue mission is ongoing for the remaining crew members — 16 more Filipinos and one Russian — conducted by two security firms.

“Among the 17 would be the reported fatalities, which we will confirm once we talk to the five seafarers,” he told reporters.

“Ang approach natin ngayon [Our approach] is to ascertain from the seafarers themselves, itong mga nasagip, kasi [those rescued seafarers because] they would, very well, have an account of what has happened in the last 48 or so hours,” he said.

In a Viber message to reporters, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said there were reports of at least two casualties. When asked if they are Filipinos, De Vega said, “Most likely.”

Reuters reported four crew members have been killed after the attack on the MV Eternity C.

Yemen-based Houthi militants have not claimed responsibility for the attack on the MV Eternity C, which occurred 50 nautical miles southwest of the port of Hodeidah.

But the United States already condemned the “unprovoked Houthi terror attack” on MV Eternity C, which it said resulted in the “tragic loss of three mariners,” and on another civilian cargo vessel MV Magic Seas in the Red Sea.

“These attacks demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security,” the US State Department said.

It added it will “continue to take necessary action” to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi attacks.

More details needed

Cacdac said the bulk carrier sank around 1 p.m. (Manila time), but details that led to the sinking, as well as the state of the five seafarers when they were rescued, remain unclear.

Citing reports, he said the armed group was still in the area.

He said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has been meeting with the families of the seafarers, licensed manning agency, and the ship owner’s representative since Wednesday morning regarding the matter.

He added that the DMW is also keeping in touch with the country’s defense attache in Bahrain.

On Sunday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on another bulk carrier, MV Magic Seas, where almost all of the seafarers on board were Filipinos.

RELATED: DMW: 17 Pinoy seafarers safe after attack on ship

Cacdac said the 17 Filipino seafarers will return to the country this week.

“Both principals in the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C will definitely be prohibited from boarding Filipino seafarers on their ship should they insist to navigate or traverse the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden,” Cacdac said in a virtual briefing on Tuesday.

The DMW reiterated its call to licensed manning agencies, principals, and shipowners to reroute their vessels away from high-risk areas, particularly traversing the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.