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THE DEPARTMENT of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Tuesday said that Filipino seafarers that escaped an attack by alleged Houthi rebels last week have been safely accommodated in a hotel in Djibouti.
“17 Filipino seafarers and two other crew members on board a bulk carrier are now safe from harm after escaping an armed attack by alleged Houthi rebels on their ship while they were sailing in the Red Sea near Hodeidah, Yemen on July 6,” the DMW said in a statement.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said that the Filipino seafarers and the Romanian ship master and Vietnamese chief engineer were all accounted for and are now in a hotel in Djibouti.
The Liberian-flagged vessel MV Magic Seas came under assault from small boats with men armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, when it was sailing about 51 nautical miles southwest of Yemen.
“The ship’s security team, composed of four armed personnel, was able to repel the attack by returning fire. This led to the escape of the ship’s crew, who were later rescued by the passing container ship Safeen Prism,” it added.
He said that the DMW remain in close coordination with relevant government agencies and the licensed manning agency Crewcare, Inc., “to facilitate the safe and swift repatriation of the affected Filipino seafarers.”
Separately, Mr. Cacdac said that another vessel, the MV Eternity C, was also assaulted by alleged Houthi rebels near Hodeidah, last Sunday. There were 21 Filipinos on board the ship.
“We are still confirming (the reports) at this hour. We are in close coordination with the manning agent, the principal, or the ship owner. We’re having difficulty communicating with them,” he said in a livestreamed brief-ing.
He added that there were two missing and two more crew members injured following the attack.
Mr. Cacdac said that the DMW had reached out to more than half of the seafarers affected. — Adrian H. Halili
