Metro Manila, Philippines – Fourteen seafarers who survived the Aug. 31 attack on their crude oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz have returned to the country safe on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
In a Sept, 8 press briefing, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government is also facilitating the repatriation of two other seafarers killed in the attack on M/V SIDR.
Cacdac said his agency is investigating whether the shipowner and licensed manning agency complied with regulations on the deployment of Filipino seafarers in high-risk areas.
The probe will cover requirements on safe transit, avoiding high-risk and warlike areas, seafarer right to refuse to sail, submission of risk assessments before deployment, and adequate onboard safety and security measures.
The seafarers were welcomed by the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which provided medical and psychosocial assistance and helped facilitate the processing of their benefits.
“We are providing, upon the full directive of the president, all necessary assistance,” said Cacdac.
Meanwhile, the DMW said it is monitoring four vessels in the Black Sea with 82 Filipino seafarers on board.
The 26 Filipino crew of bulk carrier M/V Gingo have safely disembarked in Odesa, Ukraine, while the 23 crew members of oil products tanker M/V Nostos have been transferred to a safer location in Türkiye.
The crude oil tanker M/V Siren, with 21 Filipino seafarers, is in a safe port, while oil products tanker M/V Chara, with 12 Filipino seafarers, is en route to Samsun, Türkiye.
The agency said all 82 seafarers are safe.
The DMW reiterated its prohibition on the deployment of Filipino in vessels navigating the Northern Black Sea, which it has classified as an area of full-scale international armed conflict.
