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Homebound: 11 Filipino seafarers who survived Houthi missile attack to return to Manila on March 12
Homebound: 11 Filipino seafarers who survived Houthi missile attack to return to Manila on March 12
Eleven Filipino seafarers, who were on board a ship when it was struck by a Houthi missile, are expected to return to the country on Tuesday, March 12, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
DMW officer-in-charge Undersecretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the Department of Foreign Affairs has already issued the travel documents to the returning crew members, after the management of the ship True Confidence and their manning agencies arranged their travel documents back to the Philippines.
Cacdac said 10 of the returning seafarers were unharmed during the attack while the 11th Filipino seaman suffered minor injuries during the emergency evacuation of the ship.
The 11th returning crew member was cleared by medical authorities as fit for travel,” said Cacdac.
Two Filipino seafarers died as a result of the missile attack on the ship at the Gulf of Aden on March 6.
Two other Filipino seafarers could not still travel as they were still in a hospital in Djibouti City after suffering from serious injuries.
“Their condition is stable and being monitored by medical professionals. They will be repatriated to the Philippines as soon as they are medically certified as fir for travel,” said Cacdac.
The official said recovery operations are underway for the retrieval of the remains of three crew members, two of them Filipino, who died in the missile attack.
"We pray for the success of the salvaging operation so that the remains of our two fallen seafarers can be repatriated. As we continue to express our condolences and prayers to their families,” said Cacdac.
The DMW reiterates its call to shipowners with ships navigating the volatile Red Sea – Gulf of Aden sea lanes to comply strictly with the expanded “high risk areas” designation and to implement appropriate risk mitigation measures, such as rerouting vessels and deploying armed security personnel onboard such vessels.
The DMW also calls for continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East.