2 Pinoys killed, 2 critical in Houthi attack

Fatalities among 15 Filipino crewmen of bulk carrier on way to Jeddah

MANILA, Philippines — Two Filipino seafarers were killed and two others seriously wounded in the latest attack by Houthi rebels on ships cruising the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, according to the Department of Migrant Workers.

“With great sadness, the Department of Migrant Workers confirms the deaths of two Filipino seafarers in the most recent attack by Houthi rebels on ships plying the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” the DMW said in a statement released yesterday.

It said it opted to withhold the names and identities of the Filipino fatalities and two other victims for reasons of privacy.

The victims were among 15 Filipino crewmembers of the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence, which was on its way to Jeddah from China carrying steel when attacked.

The department extended its condolences to the family of the two Filipino fatalities. It also said it had already informed the families of the condition of the two Filipinos wounded in the attack.

The DMW assured the seafarers’ families of full support and assistance. The agency directed the ship’s manning agency and ship owner to ascertain the conditions of the rest of the ship’s crew, particularly the other Filipinos.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also expressed its condolences.

Based on information reaching the DMW, the other crewmen had been taken to a safe port. No details were given.

The DMW said it is coordinating with the principal ship owner and manning agency for the immediate repatriation of the remaining Filipino crew.

It also urged ship owners with ships navigating the volatile Red Sea – Gulf of Aden sea lanes to comply strictly with protocols for an expanded “high-risk areas” designation and to implement appropriate risk mitigation measures, such as rerouting vessels and deploying armed security personnel onboard.

The DFA said the remaining Filipino crewmembers of the True Confidence were brought by the Indian Navy to Djibouti.

The DFA said the Philippine embassy in Cairo, Egypt was sending a team to Djibouti to provide the Filipinos with the necessary assistance, including replacing their travel documents left or lost on the ship.

“The Philippine government remains steadfast in the belief that through diplomacy and adherence to international law, the inter-related conflicts affecting the region at present will eventually be resolved, leading to the resumption of free and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of navigation for the world economy and the international community,” the DFA said.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, expressed his condolences to the families of the two Filipino fatalities. “I join them in calling for justice for their loved ones.”

Zubiri condemned the terrorist missile attack, launched by the rebels on the Barbados-flagged carrier in the Gulf of Aden.

“I strongly condemn the fatal attack of the Houthi rebels on a cargo ship near Yemen, which led to the death of two Filipino crewmen and injured two more,” Zubiri said.

“This is an act of terrorism, plain and simple—waging violence and death on civilians who are simply trying to make a living out on the seas. There is no way to justify this brutality,” he added.

He called on the DMW “to seek the return of the victims to their families, and to extend the necessary assistance to the injured crewmen.”

The US Central Command confirmed that the death toll on the attack on True Confidence had risen to three, including the two Filipinos. The Houthi vowed to continue attacking ships in the flashpoint area of the Indian Ocean in response to Israel’s attack on Gaza. - Pia Lee-Brago, Marc Jayson Cabrera