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Six Filipino seafarers return home after staying aboard drone-hit ship in Black Sea
Philippines
National
Six Filipino seafarers return home after staying aboard drone-hit ship in Black Sea
Six Filipino seafarers return home after staying aboard drone-hit ship in Black Sea
Published Aug 8, 2026 04:27 pm
At A Glance
- Six Filipino seafarers have returned to Manila after staying aboard the damaged MT Blue for weeks following a drone attack in the northern Black Sea on July 8.
- The seafarers disembarked in Türkiye on Aug. 6 after a Russian replacement crew took over the vessel, which was later declared beyond repair. They arrived in Manila on Aug. 7 and received medical and financial assistance.
- The government is pulling Filipino seafarers out of the conflict zone after attacks hit 17 ships carrying 236 Filipinos. Three seafarers have died, one remains missing and 15 were injured, while 180 others aboard 12 unaffected ships were ordered moved to safer ports.
(Photo: Department of Migrant Workers)
Six Filipino seafarers have returned to Manila after enduring weeks aboard a crippled oil carrier targeted by aerial explosives in the Black Sea, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Saturday, Aug. 8.
The six seafarers arrived in Manila on Friday, Aug. 7, after safely disembarking from MT Blue in Turkey the previous day.
The vessel was severely damaged in a drone attack while transiting the northern Black Sea on July 8. It was later towed to Yalova, Turkey where a technical assessment found it beyond repair.
The other crew members had already left the vessel but the six Filipinos remained on board to help man the ship until a replacement crew arrived.
The seafarers were allowed to disembark on Aug. 6 after a Russian replacement crew formally assumed responsibility for MT Blue. They then traveled to Istanbul, arriving at around 3 a.m.
Labor Attaché Adam Musa received the seafarers in Istanbul and helped arrange their welfare and airport assistance.
The DMW, through the Migrant Workers Office in Lebanon, coordinated with the Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul and other concerned parties throughout the incident to monitor the crew's condition and arrange their safe return.
Upon arrival in Manila, the six seafarers received assistance from the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). They underwent medical checkups and were given financial assistance.
The DMW said the government continues to pull Filipino seafarers out of the northern Black Sea amid attacks on commercial vessels in the area, which stemmed from the escalating hostilities in the region.
Ukraine earlier attacked Russia in the Sea of Azov, prompting Russian strikes on Ukraine, including ports where commercial vessels with Filipino crew members were docked.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac earlier said three Filipino seafarers had died and one remained missing following attacks on commercial ships docked at Ukrainian ports.
The DMW said 17 ships carrying 236 Filipino seafarers had been attacked over a three-week period. Of the affected crew members, 217 escaped unharmed while 15 were injured.
As of Aug. 1, 89 seafarers had been repatriated, including nine of the 15 injured crew members. Six injured seafarers remained overseas at the time.
Cacdac said the government had also ordered licensed manning agencies and shipowners to stop sending Filipino seafarers to the northern Black Sea.
The DMW also ordered the immediate repatriation of Filipino crew members from attacked vessels. Shipowners were instructed to move 180 other Filipino seafarers aboard 12 ships that had not been attacked to safer ports.