Twenty-one Filipino seafarers rescued from a merchant vessel hit by Houthis landed safely in Manila via a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain International Airport, as their captain vowed to return to the seas.
They were assigned to the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk cargo carrier MV Tutor that was struck by an Iran-backed Houthi unmanned surface vehicle (USV) while sailing in the international waters of the Southern Red Sea last Wednesday.
The ship was carrying 22 crew from the Philippines and one is still missing in the flooded engine room.
Philippines Ambassador Anne Jalando-on Louis on Sunday met the seafarers at the airport and the Embassy’s Labour Attache Hector Cruz accompanied the group.
Sailors from the Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG), assigned to the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, airlifted 24 civilian mariners from the vessel to Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea on Sunday.
“The attack caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room,” the Fifth Fleet said in a statement. “One civilian mariner (from the Philippines) remains missing.”
After medical check-ups, the mariners were flown ashore for follow-on care.
“It’s humbling to watch the Strike Group provide assistance and rescue the crew of MV Tutor,” said IKECSG Carrier Strike Group 2 Commander Rear Admiral Marc Miguez.
“We are always prepared to help; it is the right thing to do.”
Furthermore, upon landing, MV Tutor’s Captain Christian Domarique told a Press conference at Manila airport that they will return to the seas after the crew recovers from the experience.
“We first need to rest because of the trauma,” said Captain Domarique. “We will recover for a few months before returning.”
The Philippines government has pledged financial and psychological support to the 21 crew members.
“The captain has good working years ahead of him, so with the crew that is relatively young, they will still have more seafaring years ahead of them,” Hans Leo Cacdac, the Philippines’ migrant workers minister, told a Press conference.
The vessel’s owner pledged to continue the search for the missing sailor alongside a salvaging operation to tow the stranded ship.
MV Tutor is the third ship with a Filipino crew that has been attacked by Houthi rebels since November.
Meanwhile, the Fifth Fleet statement added that Navy’s Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Squadron 74 from USS Philippine Sea on Thursday medically evacuated a severely injured civilian mariner from MV Verbena to a nearby partner force ship for medical attention.
Palau-flagged, Ukrainian-owned Verbena was sailing in the Gulf of Aden when it was struck by two anti-ship cruise missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
“Despite these senseless attacks on innocent mariners just doing their job, the Philippine Sea crew stand ready to help preserve safety of life at sea, always,” said Philippine Sea’s commanding officer Captain Steven Liberty.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, has said the “continued malign and reckless behaviour by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden”.
The Houthis control Yemen’s capital and most populous areas. They have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza since October. They have sunk one ship, seized another vessel, and killed three seafarers in another attack.
These ongoing attacks have upended global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the vital Suez Canal shortcut, and drawn retaliatory US and British strikes since February.
At least 65 countries and major energy and shipping companies – including Shell, BP, Maersk and Cosco – have been affected, according to a report by the US Defence Intelligence Agency.
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