Twenty-one Filipino seafarers were safely transported from Ukraine to Moldova, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed Wednesday, March 2.
The all-Filipino crew, according to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola, were extracted by Philippine Honorary Consul in Moldova Victor Gaina from Chornomorsk in Ukraine between Feb. 27 to March 1.
They are the crew of bulk carrier MV S-Breeze which has been on drydock for repairs at the Ilyichevsk Ship Yard in Port of Odessa in Ukraine since Jan. 27 this year.
"The crew had been staying in the vessel’s accommodations with enough provisions but requested repatriation due to the worsening conflict," DFA said in a statement.
Arriola said initially, only eight seafarers decided to seek evacuation. However, the remaining 13 crewmembers later made up their minds to be extracted, too, from the war-hit area.
The extraction operation was completed late Tuesday night, March 1, Arriola said. They are currently in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.
The DFA assured that arrangements for the Filipino seafarers' immediate repatriation are now on the works. Both the Philippine Embassy in Budapest and the Philippine Consulate in Chisinau are overseeing the process, DFA said.
There are now 27 Filipinos who have been evacuated from Ukraine to Moldova.
Meanwhile, 13 Filipinos from Ukraine arrived in the Philippines Tuesday night, March 1. They are part of the 40 evacuees who left Kyiv for Lviv.
At present, a total of 19 Filipinos have been repatriated from Ukraine.
Filipinos who need repatriation assistance near the Moldova and Romania borders are advised to contact the Philippine Embassy in Budapest through the following:
Hungary
Budapest PE emergency hotline +36 30 202 1760
ATN Officer Claro Cabuniag +36 30 074 5656 (mobile); +63 966 340 4725 (viber)
Moldova
Honorary Consul Victor Gain
Mobile number (also WhatsApp no.(sad) +37369870870 or email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]