The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) wants to declare certain areas in the Red Sea as high-risk zones for Filipino seafarers after another hijacking incident occurred in the area involving a merchant ship with two Filipino seafarers on board.
In a statement, the DMW said the hijacking was foiled by the US Navy, which rendered both the ship and crew safe and free following the arrest of at least five suspected hijackers in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Africa, over the weekend.
The department reported that it was the second hijacking incident involving ships with Filipino seafarers, raising the idea of declaring certain areas in the Red Sea as high-risk zones for Filipino mariners. It said that the two Filipino seafarers have already reported the foiled hijacking issue to the manning and shipping agencies to provide the government with a full report of the incident.