Filipino seafarers now have the right to refuse to sail through the Gulf of Aden and be repatriated instead, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced Friday.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said Filipino seafarers who would not want to sail through the Gulf of Aden could be repatriated at the company’s expense and would receive compensation equal to two months of basic wage.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said Filipino seamen who would not want t0 navigate the gulf may instead be repatriated at the expense of their employer and would receive compensation equal to two months of basic wage.
The sailor’s right were defined in an International Bargaining Forum (IBF) decision expanding the scope of high-risk areas (HRAs) to cover the entire Gulf of Aden.
The expanded HRA now includes the entire southern section of the Red Sea and the entire Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, stretching across to the coast of Eritrea in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa.
Meanwhile, the DMW said the concerned seafarers are also entitled to receive a bonus equal to the basic wage payable for five days minimum daily compensation day if longer, a double remuneration in case of death and disability, and mandatory increase in security arrangements equivalent.
“The expansion of the scope of ‘high risk areas’ to include the Gulf of Aden serves as a necessary step towards providing stronger protection and promoting stricter security measures to safeguard Filipino seafarers and all seafarers working onboard ships navigating in such HRAs,” Cacdac said in a statement.
Cacdac urged employers of Filipino seafarers to comply with the new rules and implement risk mitigation measures such as rerouting vessels and deploying armed security personnel.
The DMW also batted for continued diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East.
In November last year, two Filipino seafarers were onboard a chemical tanker that was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. They were later declared safe and accounted for.
The following month, a container ship with 15 Filipino crew members was hit by a drone attack staged by Yemeni Houthi rebels near the Red Sea. No one was hurt in the incident.
Cacdac issued the statement after the International Bargaining Forum (IBF), composed of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) of employers, underscored the international maritime community’s continuing concern over the safety of seafarers aboard ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
“The expansion of the scope of ‘high risk areas’ to include the Gulf
of Aden serves as a necessary step towards providing stronger
protection to crew members aboard ships navigating in high risk
areas,” Cacdac said.
Cacdac called on employers of Filipino seamen to comply with the
new rules and implement risk mitigation measures such as rerouting
vessels and deploying armed security personnel.
The DMW also batted for continued diplomatic efforts to ease
tensions and to address causes of the current conflict in the
Middle East.
In November last year, two Filipino seafarers were among the crew of a chemical tanker that was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. They were later declared safe and accounted for.
The following month, a container ship with 15 Filipino crew members was hit by a drone attack reportedly staged by Yemeni Houthi rebels near the Red Sea. No one was injured in the attack.
Cacdac issued the statement after the International Bargaining Forum (IBF), composed of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) of employers, underscored the international maritime community’s continuing concern over the safety of seafarers aboard ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Cacdac stressed that the government is committed to ensure the
protection and well-being of Filipino seafarers.
Earlier, the DMW called for the designation of the Southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait as a “high risk area” in December last year. The IBF supported the proposition.