16-6-2024 (SANA’A) 21 of the 22 Filipino seafarers aboard the MV Tutor, which came under attack by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, have been safely extracted, the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Saturday.
The combined international forces launched the rescue mission on June 14 around 10:30 p.m., DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac revealed to reporters, declining to disclose the specific countries involved in the extraction operation.
“The ship was adrift in the southern Red Sea. Immobilized but stable. The 21 Filipino seafarers were extracted and boarded onto a security vessel,” he said.
However, one seafarer remains unaccounted for. “He was in the engine room when the drones attacked. We are still searching for him,” Cacdac stated. The DMW has accompanied the missing seafarer’s family to the manning agency, ensuring they receive proper assistance and compensation.
“We were assured that efforts to locate our missing seafarer, who is still within the ship, will not cease,” Cacdac affirmed.
According to the DMW’s statement, the 21 rescued seafarers from the MV Tutor are currently aboard a US Navy ship, en route to the port of Manama in Bahrain, where Philippine Embassy officials will receive them upon their expected arrival on the evening of June 15, around 10:30 p.m. Manila time.
The Houthi rebels launched water-borne drones and missiles against the Greek-owned and Liberia-flagged freighter MV Tutor on June 12 as it sailed off the coast of Yemen. This marks the third ship carrying a Filipino crew to be targeted by Houthi rebels since November.
In March, two Filipinos from the MV True Confidence were tragically killed in a missile attack, while 11 others were rescued.
“Right now, forensic experts in the country where the remains are kept have prepared for the two to be sent home,” Cacdac said.
The surviving crew members of the MV True Confidence and the MV Tutor are expected to be repatriated as soon as they receive fit-to-travel clearances, though no strict timeline has been set. “We are expecting them to be home very soon,” Cacdac assured.
Recognizing the escalating dangers in the region, the DMW has urged ship owners and manning agencies to allow Filipinos to decline deployments that would pass through the Red Sea, where most of the Houthi attacks have occurred.
The Houthi rebels have claimed their attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s months-long bombardment of the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas in October 2023.
