The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported that all 15 Filipino crew members of a marine vessel hit by a drone attack near the Red Sea are safe and have been accounted for.
In a statement on Saturday, the DMW said the container ship “Al Jasrah,” was struck by missiles in a drone attack orchestrated by Yemeni Houthi rebels on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, as it was crossing the Bab al Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf
of Aden.
“The DMW was informed by the ship’s manning agency and its shipping company that all members of the crew, including 15 Filipino seafarers, are safe and accounted for,” the statement read.
DMW said Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac, quoted in reports, already issued instructions to the department’s Sea-Based Operations Units to monitor the situation and work closely with the vessel’s manning and shipping company to assure the safety of the Filipino seafarers.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it was using “quiet diplomacy” to secure the release of 17 Filipino seafarers taken hostage by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in November.
Acting senior special assistant of the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Robert Ferrer Jr. said the government team on the ground is waiting for updates, including from the country’s honorary consul in Sanaa, Yemen.
“Our Embassy in Riyadh covers the Houthi controlled part of Yemen kasi nagrebelde po sila against the recognized government. But may quiet diplomacy po na nangyayari ngayon among the ambassadors po sa Oman,” Ferrer said, during the confirmation hearing of the Senate foreign affairs committee for 49 foreign service appointees.
The Houthis said it seized the vessel on behalf of Palestinians who are being massacred by Israel. They said they would target all ships related to Israel and warned that no country’s vessels should engage
with Israel in the Red Sea.
The British-owned cargo ship is operated by a Japanese company.
The Nippon Yusen K.K., known as NYK Line, has a total of 25 people on board. The crew hails from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, Kyodo News reported.
The Israel Defense Forces said: “The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence.”
The crew did not include an Israeli and the ship “is not an Israeli ship,” the military said, noting that the vessel departed Turkey bound for India.
