24 Pinoy seafarers of hijacked MV Renuar arrive in Manila

The 24 Filipino seafarers aboard the recently-freed MV Renuar arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Thursday afternoon via Emirates Airlines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. The Filipino crew were escorted by representatives of the vessel’s principal and the local manning agency in their flight from Dubai to Manila. Legal Officers Atty. Emily Villanueva and Atty. Dennis Bregala of the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) welcomed the seafarers at the NAIA. Representatives of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) accompanied the seafarers to where their families were waiting. The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai assisted the Filipino crew upon their arrival at the Fujairah and facilitated their immigration requirements for their immediate repatriation. All the seafarers are in good health and were very glad to be home. MV Renuar, a Panama-flagged and Liberian-owned bulk cargo vessel, was abducted on December 11 last year in the Indian Ocean. The vessel was en route to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates from Port Louis in Mauritius when it was taken over. To date, there are 79 Filipino seafarers on board nine vessels still in captivity by Somali pirates. The Philippine government has undertaken measures to minimize the exposure of Filipino seafarers to piracy attacks, including making arrangements with ship principals and manning agencies for vessels to travel along a safety corridor and to adopt best management practices as a deterrence to piracy attacks. - VVP, GMA News