The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said that sixteen Filipino sailors and three land-based workers who were stranded for several months in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic will finally be repatriated to Manila today, September 29.
In a statement, the DFA said the Filipino seafarers will arrive in Manila around 1 a.m. on board a chartered flight.
Eleven of the 16 seafarers are from Ocean Star 86, who have been docked in Dongshan since March 2020. They will be joined by five seafarers on board M/V Maria P., who have been stranded in Ningde since July 2020.
“Both are Chinese fishing vessels which were affected by China’s nodisembarkation policy as precautionary measure due to the pandemic and the unavailability of commercial flights,” the statement said. Rey E. Requejo