DFA: 9 Pinoy sailors of MV Eternity C to be released

Nine Filipino seafarers of the ill-fated M/V Eternity C who were held hostage by the Houthis in the Red Sea for more than five months will be finally released, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the DFA said it received the information from the authorities of the Sultanate of Oman, adding that the sailors will be transferred from Sana’a, Yemen to the Omani capital of Muscat. 

“The release was the outcome of efforts of Oman, in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro personally discussed the plight of the Filipinos with her Omani counterpart, Foreign Minister Sayed Badr bin Hamad El-Busaidi, during a bilateral meeting in July, and again raised the matter during a phone call in November,” the DFA said.

“The Philippines expresses its sincerest appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman,” it added.

According to a “Saksi” report on Tuesday, officials of the Philippine Embassy and the Migrant Workers office in Muscat will make arrangements for the safe and immediate return of the seafarers to the Philippines.

Earlier, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said three Filipino seafarers died in the July 7 attack of Houthi rebels on the M/V Eternity C, while one is missing.

Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships it claims have links to Israel and has vowed to step up attacks until the country ends its aggression in Gaza.

Piracy and ransom kidnappings of Filipino sailors, particularly in waters off Africa, have long been a problem for the Philippine government as they lack the capacity to monitor their movements when at sea. 

The Philippines is one of the world’s largest providers of shipping manpower in the world.

A bulk of Filipino seamen or more than 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 million sailors are manning oil tankers, cargo ships, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to attacks.

Manila has repeatedly appealed to Filipino seafarers to avoid sailing to the Red Sea following the back-to-back deadly attacks against two cargo vessels by Houthi rebels in July.

Both the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, attacked by the Iran-backed Yemeni group a day apart, were manned by Filipino crew. The two ships sank off the Red Sea – a key trade route. — JMA, GMA Integrated News