Nine Filipino seafarers seized by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea are set to be released after more than five months in captivity, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Citing information from authorities in the Sultanate of Oman, the DFA said the crew members of the ill-fated M/V Eternity will be transferred from Sana’a, Yemen to Muscat, Oman.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs has received information from the authorities of the Sultanate of Oman that the nine Filipino seafarers… will be released and will be transferred from Sana’a, Yemen to Muscat, Oman,” the DFA said.
The nine were among 21 Filipinos aboard the Liberian-flagged vessel when it was struck by Houthi missile fire off Hodeida on July 8. The attack came amid stepped-up assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, a flashpoint in the wider regional conflict.
Eight Filipino crew members were rescued earlier and have since returned home. Three others were reported dead, and one went missing.
The DFA said the released followed diplomatic efforts by Oman in coordination with the Philippines. Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro raised the crew’s plight with Omani Foreign Minister Sayed Badr bin Hamad El-Busaidi, during bilateral meeting in July, and again in a phone call in November.
The Philippine Embassy in Muscat and the Migrant Workers Office-Muscat will make arrangements for the seafarers’ return.
“The DFA expresses its sincerest appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman,” the DFA said.
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