DMW receives 15 M/V Devon Bay survivors

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday said it received 15 rescued Filipino seafarers from the cargo vessel M/V Devon Bay, which capsized near Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

DMW officials received the survivors aboard the BRP Teresa Magbanua in coordination with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, and provided them with necessary support and assistance.

The remains of two crew members were also received by a DMW–Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) team and the vessel’s licensed manning agency.

The Singapore-flagged general cargo vessel M/V Devon Bay, carrying an all-Filipino crew of 21, encountered a maritime incident while en route to Yangjiang, China from Gutalac, Zamboanga del Sur.

The vessel, loaded with iron ore, was last located about 141 nautical miles west of Sabangan Point, Ango Bay, Pangasinan around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 22.

The PCG on Friday said it received a report that the China Coast Guard had rescued the crew of the vessel.

So far, four crew members remain missing. The DMW said the PCG assured that search and rescue operations are still ongoing.

“The DMW continues to closely monitor the situation and coordinate with relevant agencies to protect the welfare of the seafarers and their families, reaffirming its commitment to the safety and protection of all Filipino workers abroad,” the DMW said in a statement.—MCG, GMA Integrated News