The Philippine government is preparing the emergency repatriation of 40 Filipino seafarers who were aboard a Panama-flagged bulk carrier involved in a collision with a Chinese-registered fishing vessel in the Singapore Strait last week.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed that the Filipino sailors were among the crew of the bulk carrier First Margaux. DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said authorities had identified all 40 seafarers and were contacting their families while efforts continued to establish their condition.
“Rest assured, we have identified all the 40 Filipino seafarers by name and that we are reaching out to all of their families as we confirm their status,” Cacdac told reporters on Thursday.
He said the department had not received information indicating whether any of the Filipino crew members had been injured. The manning agency responsible for the sailors also had no information on injuries following the incident.
Cacdac said the government’s priority was to assist the seafarers and their families and arrange for the crew members to return home.
“Of course, rest assured because of the instructions of the President, we are reaching out to the families and we will assist them. Our number one priority is to bring them home,” he said.
Singaporean authorities are investigating the collision. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu 108 took on water during the incident but remained afloat.
Ship-tracking data indicated that the routes of the two vessels overlapped when the collision occurred, according to a Reuters report. Videos shared after the incident showed the much smaller fishing vessel tilted sharply on its port side as the larger bulk carrier moved in the opposite direction.
The Singapore Strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and is about five kilometres wide at its narrowest point. Around 2,000 vessels pass through the waterway, which connects major maritime routes between the Pacific and Indian oceans.
The heavy traffic in the narrow passage could be among the factors examined by investigators, although authorities have not established the cause of the collision. Vessels travelling between the UAE and East Asia also use the route.
The Chinese government has not issued a statement on the incident.
The collision comes as the Philippines continues to focus on the safety of its large overseas seafarer workforce. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has pledged to strengthen programmes protecting Filipino mariners and their welfare.
Marcos has also highlighted growing security risks in international shipping, including threats affecting seafarers in the Black Sea, Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz.
The DMW previously said the remains of two Filipino seafarers who died in the Strait of Hormuz on August 31 were returned to their families on September 12.
