BI: Almost 10k foreign seafarers sent home amid pandemic, only 4 cruise ships left in Manila Bay

The Philippines has sent home to their countries nearly 10,000 foreign seafarers who were stranded aboard cruise ships in Manila Bay since April, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Friday.

The bureau said 9,854 foreign seafarers had been cleared to leave the country as of August 19.

The crewmen were allowed to disembark from their ships only after they were found negative for COVID-19 through an RT-PCR swab test, the BI said.

Meanwhile, more than 19,3000 Filipino seamen have reunited with their families after they were stranded in vessels anchored in Manila Bay, the bureau reported.

They were also tested for COVID-19 and had to be negative before they were cleared for sendoff, BI Seaport Operations Chief Alnazib Decampong said in a statement.

“We have to ensure that all these seamen will not endanger the health and safety of their loved ones when they come home and reunite with their families,” Decampong said.

From 57 since April, only four cruise ships are anchored at the Manila Bay with only a few crewmen aboard for maintenance before their outbound voyage, he said. -MDM, GMA News