DMW building. File photo / ABC
MANILA, Philippines — One of the 27 Filipino crew members onboard MV Transworld Navigator attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea sustained a minor injury, according to Migrant Workers chief Hans Leo Cacdac.
“There is at least one who had reported minor injuries onboard. Apparently, there was shattered glass in the bridge, and this particular seafarer suffered minor injuries, but other than that, we know of no other injuries to any of the 27 others,” Cacdac said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
“They are still en route to a safe port, but I will not disclose exactly where. But rest assured, once they get to a safe port, then we will undertake, together with the license manning agency and the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), their safe repatriation,” the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) official added.
READ: All 27 Filipino crew of MV Transworld Navigator unharmed, says DMW
Although he opted not to disclose their current location, Cacdac reported on Monday that all the bulk carrier’s seafarers were safe and out of danger.
He added that the seafareres might be repatriated to the Philippines once the MV Transworld Navigator reaches a safe port.
Based on previous reports, the Philippine government had already barred Filipino seafarers from boarding vessels passing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
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Earlier, Cacdac said that DMW required manning agencies to submit an “affirmation letter” or written guarantee that passenger or cruise vessels with Filipino crew members will not traverse the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden — areas designated as “war-like zones.”
It also required manning agencies to submit their vessels’ detailed itineraries during the processing of crew employment contracts or before deployment.