THE 11 Filipino crew members of the bulk carrier hit by a missile attack at the Gulf of Aden in Yemen are set to return to Manila by tomorrow, March 12, 2024, according to a top official of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
“We are preparing a fitting welcome for our brave seafarers upon their arrival,” said DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac
The eleven returning seafarers are composed of the 10 unharmed crew members True Confidence, a Liberian-owned, Barbados-flagged bulk carrier, that was the target of a missile attack by Houthi rebels last week, March 6, while traveling along the Gulf of Aden.
The 11th returning crew member, on the other hand, suffered minor injuries during the ship’s emergency evacuation but was later cleared by medical authorities as “fit for travel.”
Two of the remaining Filipino crew members of the True Confidence remain in a hospital in Djibouti City.
Their condition is stable and being monitored by medical professionals. They will be repatriated to the Philippines as soon as they are declared “fit for travel” as well.
The government, meanwhile, is already mounting recovery operations for the retrieval of the remains of three crew members, two of them Filipino, who died in the missile attack.
“We pray for the success of the salvaging operation so that the remains of our two fallen seafarers can be repatriated,” Cacdac said, adding that “we continue to express our condolences and prayers to their families.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs issued the travel documents to the returning crew members, whose flight arrangements are being managed by their shipping and manning agencies.