A total of 4,687 Filipino seafarers continue to work in high-risk zones, including areas threatened by piracy and armed conflict, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said at the CREW Connect Global seafaring conference on Tuesday.

According to DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac, of the number, 740 Filipino seafarers had been attacked aboard ships navigating the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden — waters in the middle of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

Cacdac noted that several other government agencies have ramped up assistance to the seafarers.

He said the DMW has urged shipowners to reroute their vessels. However, he acknowledged that stronger protocols and guidance were needed to help the seafarers facing direct threats.

At the same forum, the manager of Maritime Safety and Security at BIMCO, Capt. Ashok Srinivasan, underscored the urgency of the situation, stating, “Shipping is being attacked, our seafarers are being attacked and murdered in the Red Sea. That is not the sort of risk anyone should ask our seafarers to take.”

He said the escalating violence in those waters is beyond the scope of the shipping industry or NGOs to address and he demanded direct intervention from governments.

Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, echoed the call for action, referencing the trauma of the crew members in the hijacking of the motor tanker, the Galaxy Leader, in November last year.

“We still have 25 crew members on board, and can you imagine the distress that they and their families are going through at this moment and all our efforts have done nothing,” Platten said.

Of the 25 crew taken hostage on the Galaxy Leader, 17 are Filipino nationals. They continue to be held by the Houthi rebels who hijacked the ship.