Twenty-one Filipino seafarers rescued from the MV Tutor are set to arrive in Manila on Monday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.

The agency said the seafarers arrived in Bahrain at the Port of Manama on Saturday and were received by Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Anne Jalando-on Louis.

The vessel was traversing the Red Sea when it was attacked by Houthi rebels on Wednesday, 12 June.

The Houthis have been attacking international ships in the Red Sea since November 2023 in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Originally, the vessel had 22 Filipino seafarers onboard, but only 21 were rescued.

According to DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, search operations are underway to locate the missing seafarer.

The DMW already barred Filipino seafarers from boarding vessels passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden after the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the International Bargaining Forum designated the areas as “high-risk areas” and “war-like zones.” 

The MV Tutor was abandoned after it was struck by a sea drone off rebel-held Hodeida on Wednesday, causing serious flooding, in the latest in a series of Houthi attacks.

The Iran-backed rebels have been harassing the vital sea lane since shortly after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, forcing much marine traffic into lengthy detours.

“The crew of the vessel has been evacuated by military authorities,” said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is run by the British navy.

“The vessel has been abandoned and is drifting.”

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned and operated merchant ship was hit by a sea drone and an “unknown aerial projectile,” the US military’s Central Command said on Wednesday.

Security firm Ambrey said it was the first time the Houthis had hit a ship using remote-controlled, water-borne explosives.

It was one of a surge of attacks this week, one of which badly injured a sailor who was evacuated by US forces from the MV Verbena in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday.