450 Filipino seafarers from New Orleans repatriated

DFA welcomes 450 Filipino seafarers from Carnival Fantasy, Freedom, Glory, Legend, and Valor cruise ships from New Orleans in the United States. Photo courtesy of DFA

MANILA, Philippines — At least 450 Filipino seafarers who worked aboard five cruise ships in New Orleans in the US have returned home, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

In a statement, the DFA said it welcomed “450 seafarers of the Carnival Fantasy, Freedom, Glory, Legend, and Valor cruise ships from New Orleans, USA.”

DFA said the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would undergo mandatory quarantine as part of the measures against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This is the second batch of repatriates scheduled Friday that will bring home over a thousand OFWs from the US and Europe.

Earlier, 440 Filipino cruise ship workers returned home from Norwegian Pearl, Sky, and Sun cruise ships in Miami, US.