Phl, India join forces to safeguard seafarers

The Philippines and India have committed to enhancing their cooperation and bolstering maritime security amid the growing security challenges across global waters.

During the courtesy call of Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier this week, they discussed the escalating dangers seafarers face on the world's oceans.

Earlier this month, two Filipino seamen lost their lives in a missile strike by Houthis rebels while their ship was traversing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Marcos said that because of the security challenges prevalent in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean, nations like India and the Philippines must strengthen their collaboration.

“We’re ready to join up, and if there are opportunities for us to work together, it really is at a crisis point in shipping. And maybe we can find something that we can do together to ease the situation at least a little bit until it becomes, the conflict becomes less heated,” Marcos told Jaishankar.

While India and the Philippines are non-traditional partners in terms of maritime issues, Marcos said, “It serves a purpose for us to start thinking about that because the world is like that already, very closely connected.”

Jaishankar shared Marcos’ sentiment that the two countries should explore areas where they could enhance cooperation, with the aspiration to discover novel approaches to tackling the global scenario.

Meanwhile, Marcos acknowledged the recent rescue of Filipino seafarers by the Indian Navy in the Gulf of Aden.

He extended the Philippines' gratitude for the Indian Navy's swift rescue and assistance provided to the Filipino crew members of the MV True Confidence, who were attacked off the coast of Yemen earlier this month.

“I express my profound gratitude to the Indian government for their swift and decisive action in rescuing Filipino seafarers involved in the MV True Confidence incident,” Marcos said in a Facebook post.

An Indian Navy vessel, which is part of the international task force patrolling the Red Sea, rescued the surviving Filipino crew members and transported them to Djibouti.