Pinoys safe after Houthi missile attack

MANILA, Philippines — All Filipino crewmen on board an oil tanker attacked by Houthi rebels while traversing the Red Sea are safe, according to the Department of Migrant Workers.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said the 23 Filipino seamen are safe and unharmed after the latest Houthi attack.

“The oil tanker, reportedly attacked by drone in the Red Sea, was lightly damaged and has proceeded to destination with an all-Filipino crew of 23 safe and unharmed,” Cacdac posted on X.

The DMW said the vessel was sailing close to the Yemen port city of Hodeida when it was attacked by rebels.

The agency is closely coordinating with international maritime authorities, shipping companies, and local manning agencies to monitor the safety of Filipino seafarers while traversing high-risk and war-like zones.

Based on news reports, Iran-backed Houthi militants hit Saturday a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker off Yemen’s Red Sea coast with an anti-ship missile. The US military said there were no casualties.

Last April, Cacdac reported that foreign ships with Filipino crewmen on board had been attacked with missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The DMW has been pleading to ship owners to divert their routes, and not pass through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for the safety of the seafarers.

It also asked ship owners to allow Filipino seafarers to disembark and join another voyage if passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden cannot be avoided.

Late last year, 17 Filipino seafarers were captured and held hostage by Houthi rebels while their ships were cruising the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Two other seafarers were killed and two others were injured when Houthi rebels attacked their vessels last March.