SAFETY FIRST The Department of Migrant Workers said the ban would protect Filipino seafarers from possible attacks. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Licensed manning agencies have been required to submit a written guarantee that passenger or cruise vessels with Filipino crew members will not traverse the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which have been designated as “war-like zones.”
Aside from the “affirmation letter,” the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday also required manning agencies to submit their vessels’ detailed itinerary during the processing of crew employment contracts or before deployment.
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Migrant Workers officer in charge Hans Cacdac gave the order after the DMW and Philippine Maritime Industry Tripartite Council agreed during a meeting on March 19 on the “urgent need for stricter protocols” to ensure the safety of Filipino seafarers navigating the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.On March 6, a missile attack from Yemen’s Houthis on the bulk carrier MV True Confidence killed three crew members—two of them Filipinos—and seriously injured another two Filipinos.
They were the first fatalities since Houthi rebels started attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in retaliation for Israel’s siege on the Gaza enclave in Palestine.
Earlier this month, the DMW urged Filipino seafarers who want to exercise their right to refuse service on a vessel sailing through these areas to directly contact the department while they are at sea.