Daily Tribune
(FILE) This handout photograph taken on 27 January 2024 and released by the Indian Ministry of Defence shows smoke billowing from the British oil tanker MV Merlin Luanda after the Indian Navy deployed the INS Visakhapatnam following a distress call by the vessel while transiting through the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea.
Photo by INDIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE / AFP
Ten Filipino crewmen aboard the shipping vessel struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden are safe and accounted for, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed Thursday night.
“We welcome the report that our seafarers are safe and secure, away from the dangers they faced yesterday,” DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdad said.
"I had a video call with all 10 Filipino crew members in a Djibouti hotel and attest to their safety," Cacdac added.
Earlier, the DMW received confirmation from the ship’s manning agency that the crew members are currently staying at a hotel in Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
Department also clarified that three Filipino crewmen – not two as earlier reported – were injured in the missile attack. They are currently receiving medical care at a hospital in Djibouti City and are in stable condition.
Meantime, senior officials of the DMW met directly with the family and kin of the two Filipino seafarers who died in the attack.
“We have expressed our deepest sympathies to the families and will provide all the assistance and support needed by the families of our fallen seafarers, as directed by the President,” assured Cacdac.
Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive, Cacdac instructed the DMW’s concerned Regional Offices and its attached agency, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), to reach out to the families and relatives of all the crew members.
The DMW is coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and its own Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in the Middle East to personally meet with the crew.
“We are in coordination with the DFA, through its embassies and missions, as well as our Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) in the region, to ascertain the crew members’ physical and medical conditions and to provide any immediate assistance required,” Cacdac noted.
Houthi rebels based in Yemen launched a missile attack on the crew’s cargo vessel at about 5:30 PM Wednesday (Manila time), 6 March. The vessel was about 50 nautical miles away from Aden, the capital of Yemen.
Based on the manning agency’s report, the missile struck the vessel’s fuel bunker section causing an explosion and engulfed the ship in flames. The magnitude of the explosion forced the crew to evacuate the ship immediately to avoid further injuries.
An Indian Navy vessel, part of the international task force patrolling the volatile Red Sea – Gulf of Aden sea lanes, rescued the crew and brought them to Djibouti.
