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Cargo ship with 21 Filipino seafarers attacked by Houthi rebels in Red Sea; DMW confirming status of crew
Philippines
National
Cargo ship with 21 Filipino seafarers attacked by Houthi rebels in Red Sea; DMW confirming status of crew
Cargo ship with 21 Filipino seafarers attacked by Houthi rebels in Red Sea; DMW confirming status of crew
Published Jul 8, 2025 06:59 pm
Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac confirms on July 8, 2025 that 21 Filipino seafarers were attacked by Houthi rebels onboard MV Eternity C, a Greek-operated cargo ship, in the Red Sea. The migrant workers chief said he has yet to confirm reports from international media that two crew members were missing while two others were wounded in the attack. (Courtesy of DMW livestream)
A Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated cargo ship with 22 crew members onboard, including 21 Filipino seafarers, was attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed Tuesday, July 8.
MV Eternity C was sailing off 50 nautical miles southwest of the port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Monday, July 7, when it came under fire from the Houthis.
“There were sea drones and fast-moving skiffs with armed assailants and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) that were launched and significantly damaged the communications systems of the ship,” DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac Jr. said.
Cacdac said they were verifying reports from the international media that two crew members were missing while two others were wounded in the attack.
He said the DMW has been trying to coordinate with the manning agent of the ship as well as the ship owner to determine the status of the seafarers, “but we’re having difficulty communicating with them.”
“We’re a little frustrated about this but we hope that they will come forward soon,” he said.
The DMW has also contacted the families of the seafarers to inform them about the situation.
“We have reached out to more than 50 percent of the 21 families, more than half. And I myself and fellow DMW officials have been doing the contacting. We want to make sure that we, ourselves, are in contact with the families,” Cacdac stressed.
A virtual meeting was scheduled by the DMW with the families of the seafarers on Tuesday.
Aside from that, the DMW has also reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and international groups such as the International Transport Federation, an international trade union federation of transport workers' unions; and the Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) in Manila.
“We hope and pray that our seafarers are fine and okay,” Cacdac said.
Seventeen Filipino crew members and two foreigners were rescued after abandoning the merchant ship.
A third vessel, MV Cordelia Moon, a Palau-flagged oil tanker, was also attacked by the Houthis on Sunday but there were no Filipino crew members onboard, Cacdac said.
'Right to refuse sailing in high-risk areas'
Meanwhile, Cacdac urged Filipino seafarers to exercise their right to refuse sailing in “high-risk and war-like” areas, particularly in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in light of the latest attacks by the Houthis, reminding them of their rights to refuse sailing and to be informed of their assigned routes and the potential dangers involved in their voyage.
“This is merely a reiteration for our Filipino seafarers of their right to refuse sailing through high-risks zones, which is a well-entrenched maritime tradition. As issued by the DMW and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the risks of traversing these areas must be well-explained to the seafarers for their safety and security,” said Cacdac, emphasizing key provisions of the Department Order No. 1, Series of 2024.
To formalize request to refuse sailing, Filipino seafarers may submit their “Confirmation of Refusal to Traverse the Red Sea, or Gulf of Aden, and/or to Other War-Like and High-Risk Zone” to their LMAs and report the same to the DMW Seabased Accreditation Bureau.
The confirmation form shall be submitted via email to [email protected] or they may call the DMW hotline 1348 for immediate assistance.
The DMW also reiterated its call for shipowners and licensed manning agencies (LMAs) to reroute their vessels away from high-risk areas.
“We asked shipowners carrying Filipino seafarers to please divert your voyagers. It is not enough to just say, ‘We are taking the necessary safety precautions.’ The best way to spare our seafarers is to avoid the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” Cacdac noted.
In addition, he urged shipowners and manning agencies to report the scheduled passage of ships and those Philippine seafarers on board in the DMW’s welfare monitoring system, including information on deployment or knowledge of any scheduled passage to the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden.
“Failure to report such a significant event will result in the imposition of sanctions under the DMW rules and regulations upon the manning agent and the principal,” he warned. “The Department will not hesitate to take firm and lawful action against those who compromise the safety of our seafarers. We owe them protection, not promises.”