Filipino Seafarers Urged to Refuse Sailing in High-Risk Areas

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is urging seafarers to exercise their right to refuse sailing in high-risk areas following incidents of missile attacks related to the Israel-Hamas war. Two Filipino crewmen were killed and two others injured in a missile attack on the bulk carrier True Confidence by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The DMW encourages seafarers to refuse sailing in high-risk areas to avoid such incidents and states that they have the right to refuse to sail and be repatriated if they invoke their rights before the ship reaches its destination.

The DMW has updated its list of Warlike Operations Area (WOA) and High-risk Areas to include Yemeni territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles from the borders of Yemen with Saudi Arabia and Oman. Seafarers who choose not to sail in these high-risk areas are entitled to benefits under the guidelines, and the government will assist with redeployment. The two remaining crewmen from the True Confidence who were hospitalized in Djibouti City have been repatriated on a chartered medical evacuation flight and will receive assistance packages from the government.

The repatriated survivors and injured crewmen will receive cash assistance and psychosocial counseling from the government. The DMW is also conducting retrieval operations for the remains of the two slain Filipinos and has towed the vessel to safer waters for salvage operations. The government is committed to supporting seafarers in high-risk areas and ensuring their safety and well-being.

Source .