After hospital confinement abroad, the two remaining Filipino crewmen of a ship that was hit by a missile in Gulf of Aden were repatriated back to the Philippines, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Thursday, March 14.

In a statement, the DMW said the two crewmen, who suffered serious injuries during the missile attack of Houthi rebels on True Confidence vessel, arrived via a chartered medical evacuation flight at 6:45 a.m. on Thursday.

“The two were received by a medical team and taken to hospital where they will continue their recovery. They have also been reunited with their families in hospital,” the DMW statement read.

It said the two were immediately transported back to the Philippines after hospital authorities in Djibouti City cleared them for travel.

The DMW did not provide additional details on the arrival as part of the agreement with their respective families for privacy.

The two seafarers were among the 15 Filipino crewmen of the True Confidence which was hit by a missile on March 6 at the Gulf of Aden.

Two Filipinos died in the attack. 

Based on the manning agency’s report, the missile struck the vessel’s fuel bunker section causing an explosion and engulfed the ship in flames. The magnitude of the explosion forced the crew to evacuate the ship immediately to avoid further injuries. 

An Indian Navy vessel, part of the international task force patrolling the volatile Red Sea – Gulf of Aden sea lanes, rescued the crew and brought them to Djibouti.

The first batch of Filipino crewmen, composed of 11 seafarers, arrived in the Philippines on March 12.

The repatriated seafarers will receive an assistance package through a whole-of-government approach to further ensure their safety and welfare.

The package includes on-site medical and physical check-ups from the Department of Health (DOH), financial and comprehensive reintegration support from the DMW and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), as well as livelihood aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The DMW has been calling on 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 called for continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East.