DMW: 12 Pinoy seafarers safe after attack in Gulf of Aden

Metro Manila, Philippines - Twelve Filipino seafarers aboard a Dutch-flagged cargo vessel attacked in the Gulf of Aden were safe and have been moved to a secure location, the Department of Migrant Workers said Wednesday, Oct. 1.

It said two Filipino sailors were injured after the cruise missile attack by the Houthi forces on the MV Minervagracht, but they are now safe.

The Minervagracht had a crew of 19 seafarers, mostly consisting of Filipinos, as well as Russian, Ukrainian, and Sri Lankan nationals.

“Of the 12 Filipino crew members, two remain under medical care—one with minor injuries and another with serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said.

“Ten crew members, including those with minor injuries, are out of danger and expected to return home soon,” he said.

The DMW said it is coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the shipowners for the safe transfer and repatriation of Filipino seafarers.

They will receive accommodation, financial aid, medical check-up, and psychosocial counseling once they return to the country.

The agency said families have been informed of the status of the seafarers.

Spliethoff, the Amsterdam-based operator of the vessel, said the Minervagracht, which had no cargo at the time, was sailing from Djibouti when it was hit in the Gulf of Aden on Monday.

The European Union maritime mission Aspides said the crew members were evacuated to Djibouti.

The Houthi rebels said they attacked the Minervagracht because its owner violated “the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Reuters reported.

In July, the Yemen-based rebel group attacked the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C in the Red Sea. 

Both the vessels had Filipino seafarers on board.

Nine Filipino seafarers were “in the hands” of the Houthis after the attack on the Eternity C.