Eight Filipino seafarers from the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier M/V Breadfan returned to Manila last Sunday following a drone strike on their vessel in the Black Sea earlier this month.

The crew members arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City aboard Turkish Airlines flight TK084.

The repatriation followed a 7 August incident in which a drone hit the vessel as it approached the Port of Novorossiysk, Russia.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Assistant Secretary for Migrant Workers’ Welfare Services Maria Regina Angela Galias and OIC-Assistant Secretary for Sea-based OFW Concerns Augusto San Diego III met the crew upon arrival, alongside representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

DMW and OWWA provided financial and airport assistance, while medical personnel from the Manila International Airport Authority and New NAIA Infra Corp. conducted health assessments. Officials from Anglo-Eastern Crew Management Philippines Inc., the crew’s manning agency, were also present to assist.

DMW and OWWA directed the manning agency to ensure the seafarers receive complete physical and psychological evaluations, debriefing sessions, and all applicable compensation and benefits resulting from their repatriation.

The DMW urged manning agencies and foreign principals to continuously monitor deployed crew members, enforce safety protocols, and comply with safety guidelines for vessels with Filipino crew operating in the Black Sea.