Twenty-one out of 22 Filipino seafarers aboard the MV Tutor that was attacked by Huthi rebels in the Red Sea earlier this week have been rescued, the Department of Migrant Workers said yesterday.
Only one remains missing as combined international forces launched the rescue mission Friday evening, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said without naming the countries involved.
“The ship was adrift in the southern Red Sea. It was immobilized but stable. They were able to extract the 21 Filipino seafarers and they were boarded into a security ship,” he said.
“There is only one more remaining. He was in the engine room when the Huthi drone attacks happened. We are still searching for him,” Cacdac added.
He said the government is studying its policy on the deployment of Filipino seafarers to ships sailing through the Red Sea.
“In light of this recent incident, we are reviewing this current policy. Just give us room to review the policy,” Cacdac said.
Pending the new deployment policy, Cacdac said Filipino seafarers have the “right to refuse sailing” if they think their ship would sail through dangerous waters.
The DMW chief said search and rescue operations would continue for the missing seafarer.
“We were assured that we will not stop in terms of locating our missing seafarer who is just within the ship,” he said.
Huthi rebels launched drones and missiles against MV Tutor, a Greek-owned and Liberia-flagged freighter, on June 12.
It is the third ship with Filipino crew that has been attacked by Huthi rebels since November.