Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 22) — Thirteen Filipino seafarers who have been stuck on a ship in China’s waters for 18 months were flown back to the Philippines on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
The Filipinos returned Thursday morning on a flight from Ghuangzhou, a month after they appealed for help.
The crew told CNN Philippines that they have been stranded since January 2020 due to China’s strict health protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a court case involving their ship’s owner. Their vessel MV Angelic Power was earlier seized by the court, according to the DFA while one of the seafarers said their passports were also taken.
The Filipinos also claimed that the company they work for, the Magsaysay Maritime Corporation, had also withheld their salary since the start of 2021.
The DFA assured that the returning Filipinos had been tested for the coronavirus on July 18, before their flight. The crew had also been replaced by Chinese seafarers in their ship after they left the vessel.
Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said the department initially proposed a repatriation flight on July 15 but it had to secure approval of the court handling the disposition of the ship.
