THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is investigating the shipowners and licensed manning agencies (LMAs) of five vessels attacked in the Northern Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz last week for possible violations of rules intended to protect Filipino seafarers in high-risk and war-like areas.
The agency is also considering barring vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz from employing Filipino seafarers amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran in the strategic waterway.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans J. Cacdac said the DMW would look into whether the shipowners and LMAs complied with protocols governing the deployment and transit of Filipino seafarers in areas classified as high-risk or under war-like conditions.
These include requirements to ensure the safe transit of Filipino seafarers and avoid high-risk and war-like areas. If sailing through such areas cannot be avoided, Filipino crew members must be allowed to exercise their right to refuse sailing.
Shipowners and manning agencies are also required to submit risk assessments before their vessels depart and ensure appropriate security measures, including military support and armed guards when required.
Among the vessels under investigation is the Saudi-owned crude oil tanker Sidr, which was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 31.
Two Filipino seafarers were killed in the attack.
The surviving Filipino crew members were repatriated on Tuesday, while the remains of the two fatalities are still being processed for repatriation.
‘I am leaving for Dubai tomorrow evening, and my purpose here is to visit the shipowner’s office [of Sidr] directly. This is part of our investigation into whether the shipowner and the licensed manning agency here in Manila complied with DMW rules and regulations,’ Cacdac said in Filipino.
Also covered by the investigation are four vessels attacked while transiting the Northern Black Sea: Siren, Gingo, Nostos and Chara.
Siren was attacked on Sept. 3, while Gingo, Nostos and Chara were attacked last Friday.
The DMW said all 82 Filipino seafarers aboard the four vessels are safe and will be repatriated.
For the four vessels attacked in the Northern Black Sea, Cacdac said investigators would determine whether their shipowners violated a DMW directive issued last month prohibiting vessels carrying Filipino seafarers from proceeding to the area because of the continuing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
‘The security assessment by both our DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs] and DND [Department of National Defense], so far as the Black Sea is concerned, is that there is a full-scale international armed conflict in that area. So therefore our Filipino seafarers should be outside of that area-out of harm’s way. That is our directive [to them],’ Cacdac said.
The DMW is targeting to complete its investigation into the five vessels within two weeks.
Cacdac said LMAs found to have violated DMW regulations could face suspension of their licenses and fines depending on the gravity of the violations.
Hormuz restriction eyed
The DMW has asked the DND and DFA to conduct a security assessment of the Strait of Hormuz to determine whether restrictions similar to those imposed on the Northern Black Sea should also be implemented in the waterway.
‘Upon receipt of those security assessments, we will decide accordingly as to what our next steps to take with regards to our Filipino seafarers,’ Cacdac said.