No Pinoy mariners aboard Houthi-attacked oil tanker

No Filipinos were aboard the recently attacked oil tanker by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the Red Sea, according to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Eduardo de Vega on Saturday at a news forum in Quezon City.

The attacked ship was the British oil tanker Cordelia Moon.

Based on the footage released by the Houthis, it showed a “kamikaze” style attack, where the group used an unmanned explosive-loaded boat.

With this, De Vega reminded the Filipino seafarers of their “right to refuse sailing.”

Following the death of a Filipino seafarer when the Houthis attacked M/V Tutor last June, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) prohibited Filipino seafarers from boarding ships under the same owners.

The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden were already declared war-like areas and the past attacks on passing vessels prompted the DMW to have Filipino seafarers exercise their right to refuse to board ships passing in the two said areas.

As of September, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac stated that 128 Filipino seafarers had already exercised their right to refuse sailing, while 3,300 seafarers had opted not to.

Around 70 percent of ships have also altered their routes to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.