The Department of Migrant Workers on Friday welcomed and expressed its support for the recent decision of the International Bargaining Forum to expand the scope of “high-risk areas” or HRAs, to the entire Gulf of Aden.

DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the joint declaration issued last 16 February by the IBF, composed of the International Transport Workers Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group of Employers, “underscores the international maritime community’s continuing concern over the safety of seafarers aboard ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”

“The expansion of the scope of high-risk areas to include the Gulf of Aden serves as a necessary step towards providing stronger protection and promoting stricter security measures to safeguard Filipino seafarers and all seafarers working onboard ships navigating in such HRAs,” Cacdac said.

The expanded HRA now includes the entire southern section of the Red Sea and the entire Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, stretching across to the coast of Eritrea in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, as reported by the IBF.

The designation of an HRA means that Filipino seafarers onboard ships that navigate those waters will be entitled to the following:

1. Right to refuse sailing, with repatriation at the company’s cost and compensation equal to two month’s basic wage;

2. A bonus equal to the basic wage payable for five days minimum, plus per day if longer;

3. Double compensation in case of death and disability; and

4. A mandatory requirement to increase security arrangements equivalent to ISPS Level 3.

The DMW reiterated its commitment to ensuring and advocating for the protection and well-being of Filipino seafarers and urged their employers to comply strictly with the expanded “high-risk areas” designation and implement appropriate risk mitigation measures, such as rerouting vessels and deploying armed security personnel onboard the vessels.

The DMW earlier called for and eventually supported the IBF’s designation of the Southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait as a “high-risk area” in December last year.

It also called for continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East.