DFA orders immediate help for 21 Filipino seamen stranded in India

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has directed the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi to assist the 21 Filipino seamen who were left stranded at the Kakinada Port for more than three months after being abandoned by their Greek employers.

According to the DFA, the stranded seafarers have remained onboard the MV Evangelia M, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier.

“The crew has been stuck onboard the vessel since it was abandoned by its Greek owners in June,” the DFA said in a statement late Friday night.

The DFA said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has already instructed the Embassy in New Delhi to send officers to the Kakinada Port which is located in Andhra Paradesh.

Kakinada Port is located more than 1,800 kilometers away from New Delhi.

Cayetano also directed the DFA Office of Migrant Workers Affairs to request the assistance of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to ensure the “immediate repatriation” and payment of salaries of the 21 Filipino seamen. /muf