The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has announced that forty Filipino seafarers will be repatriated following a collision between a Chinese fishing vessel and a Panama-flagged bulk carrier in the Singapore Strait. DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac confirmed that all Filipino crew members are safe and that arrangements for their return to the Philippines are currently in progress.
Cacdac stated that the repatriation efforts are being coordinated with the Local Manning Agency (LMA), the shipowner, and the Philippine Embassy in Singapore. The DMW is also in contact with Philippine Ambassador to Singapore, Constance See Sin Yuan, to facilitate the process.
The incident occurred on September 17 at approximately 5 p.m., involving the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu 108 and the bulk carrier named First Margaux. According to reports from Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), there were no injuries reported among the crew members of either vessel, and the Chinese fishing vessel remained afloat after the collision.
Further details regarding the incident, including which vessel was transporting the Filipino seafarers, have yet to be disclosed by authorities.
