The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) welcomed home 278 seafarers aboard five Carnival cruise ships at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The DFA, through The Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C, facilitated the repatriation of this batch of distressed seafarers from Carnival ships Horizon, Magic, Ecstasy, Conquest, and Sunshine.
They all came from Miami, USA and were flown via chartered Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 8702.
The distressed OFWs underwent thorough mandatory inspection and quarantine protocols supervised by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). Local manning agency United Philippine Lines (UPL) purchased the repatriates’ flight tickets and provided onward transportation as well as quarantine accommodations pre-approved by the BOQ.
The DFA, together with its partner agencies—the Department of Health, the Bureau of Immigration, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr)—remains steadfast in its commitment to bring home all sea- and land-based Overseas Filipino Workers severely impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the second batch of UPL-hired seafarers from Carnival ships docked in Miami, USA, who have been brought home after the successful repatriation of 223 crew members from Carnival Pride (86) and Fascination (137) on April 4.
