The Filipino captain of cargo vessel M/V Han Yi, which played a crucial role in rescuing seafarers from the ill-fated MSC Elsa 3 off the coast of Kerala, India last May, was formally received by Philippine authorities on Thursday.

Captain Roybel Tabobo, a native of Iloilo, led his crew in rescuing nine Filipino seafarers after responding to the vessel’s distress call. The Han Yi was a passing merchant ship at the time of the incident, and one of the first to reach the scene.

“The Indian Coast Guard rescued the remaining 11 Filipino crew members, bringing the total number of survivors to 20,” the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said in a statement.

According to DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac, M/V Han Yi was among the first vessels to respond to the distress call from MSC ELSA 3. 

The 20 rescued Filipino crew members of the MSC Elsa 3 are currently staying at a hotel in Kochi, India while awaiting repatriation, expected by next week. The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi has facilitated the issuance of temporary travel documents, as the crew lost all personal belongings when the vessel went down.

Temporary travel documents of the seafarers were requested from the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi to process their return as they were unable to recover their belongings from the sunken vessel. 

The MSC Elsa 3, a 184-meter container ship carrying 640 containers — including 13 classified as hazardous and 12 containing calcium carbide — was en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi when it encountered trouble and issued a distress call before sinking.