Filipino crew ‘safe’ after recent attacks vs 2 vessels in Strait of Hormuz —DMW

The Filipino crew members aboard two vessels recently attacked in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz are safe, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said three ships were reportedly struck by projectiles or unidentified objects in the past 48 hours but only two of these vessels had Filipino crew members on board.

“Yung isang barko, may 21 crew. They are all safe, Filipino crew. And then yung isa, may 17 Filipino crew and they're all safe. And they're being transported to safer port at the moment,” he told Super Radyo dzBB in an interview.

(One ship has 21 Filipino crew. The Filipino crew are all safe. And then the other one has 17 Filipino crew and they're all safe. And they're being transported to a safer port at the moment.)

“Yung pangatlo is the Thai flagship. So walang Filipino doon,” he added.

(The third vessel is the Thai flagship. So there are no Filipinos there.)

Cacdac said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) continues to monitor the situation of Filipino seafarers in the Middle East region amid tensions affecting maritime routes in the Persian Gulf.

He said around 7,313 Filipino seafarers are currently deployed in the Middle East and have been “marked safe” so far.

Cacdac called on shipowners and manning agencies to protect Filipino seafarers and respect their right to refuse deployment in dangerous areas.

“Patuloy tayong nananawagan sa mga ship owners and manning agencies na protektahan ang ating mga seafarers. Galangin ng kanilang right to refuse sailing. At kapag sila ay tumanggi, bigyan sila ng dalawang buwang sahod at libreng repatriation,” he said.

(We continue to call on shipowners and manning agencies to protect our seafarers and respect their right to refuse sailing. If they refuse, they should be given two months’ salary and free repatriation.)

The DMW chief noted that the policy is recognized under international maritime labor arrangements.

In the past two days, a total of 110 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have already returned to the Philippines, according to Cacdac.

The Philippines is preparing chartered flights for more than 300 Filipinos who would like to be repatriated amid the tension in the Middle East. —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News