Pinoy seafarers held by Houthis all home

The final group of Filipino seafarers from the bulk carrier MV Minoan Courage that was hijacked by Houthi rebels arrived in the Philippines in the afternoon of 23 October.

The 10 Filipino seafarers were part of the 21 member crew aboard the Minoan Courage when it came under attack on 1 October while navigating the Red Sea. The earlier groups of repatriated seafarers returned home on 9 and 13 October.

All the crew members will undergo a psychiatric evaluation as part of the post-repatriation process.

The Minoan Courage was one of two vessels hijacked by Houthi rebels on 1 October; the other was the Panama-flagged tanker Cordelia Moon.

The Minoan Courage sustained damage during the attack after being hit by a missile 79 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, Yemen. Fortunately, all 21 crew members were unharmed. The Houthi rebel group is backed by Iran but based in Yemen.

The attacks marked the first by the Houthis in October, following Israeli airstrikes on Yemeni targets, including the port city of Hodeidah.

Israeli officials said the strikes were in retaliation for earlier Houthi assaults.