No Pinoys in Houthi-hitships — DMW

No Filipino seafarers were on board the four vessels recently involved in attacks and maritime incidents in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said yesterday.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the grounded cargo ship, VSG Glory, which sank off Egypt’s coast on Monday, 2 December, had no Filipino crewmen on board.

“We don’t have any record of the VSG Glory in our database, which means there were no Filipino seafarers on board,” Cacdac said.

The VSG Glory sank after running aground near El Quseir on 22 November while sailing from Hodeidah to Port Tawfiq.

The ship was reportedly carrying 70 tons of fuel oil, which posed a pollution threat to the area known for its marine tourism. Crew members were safely evacuated, and 250 tons of contaminated water and fuel were removed.

In a separate incident, Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for a missile and drone attack on a US destroyer and three supply ships — the Stena Impeccable, Maersk Saratoga, and Liberty Grace — in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the operation achieved “precise and direct hits” and was a response to US and Israeli actions in Gaza.

“We have talked to our licensed manning agencies and there were no Filipinos on board any of the vessels involved,” Cacdac said.