Filipino crew members in Houthi-attacked ship safe — DMW

MANILA, Philippines — Thirteen of the Filipino crew members of a vessel attacked by Yemen-based Houthi rebels are safe, the Department of Migrant Workers said on Wednesday.

In a press release, the agency said that it was informed by the shipping company’s local manning agency that the vessel, which is a bulk carrier, sustained some damage from four missiles launched by the rebels.

Among the crew of the vessel aside from Filipinos is a Ukrainian, according to the agency.

The vessel was traversing near Hodeidah at the Yemeni coast on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the DMW, the vessel is continuing its voyage to its port call.

“The DMW is communicating with the shipping and manning agencies, monitoring the safety and condition of our Filipino seafarers,” DMW’s press release read.

“The DMW is also contacting the crew members' families to provide any assistance they may need,” it added.

Although the agency did not specify the vessel, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that a merchant vessel was damaged near the port of Hodeida after being hit by three missiles.

The vessel reportedly began taking on water following the attack.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations also stated in the AFP report that the attack was not immediately claimed by the rebels, despite a series of drone and missile strikes by the group targeting Israeli-linked shipping. — with reports from Agence France-Presse and James Relativo