MANILA — Two Filipino seafarers wounded when Russian drones struck their liquefied petroleum gas tanker in the Black Sea have returned to the Philippines and are receiving medical care and government assistance, officials said Tuesday.
The sailors were among the crew of the MV Gas Lisbon, a Liberia-flagged LPG tanker that caught fire after being hit by multiple drones on July 20 near the Romanian coast while en route to Ukraine. A third Filipino crew member died from his injuries three days later.
The two survivors arrived Monday night at Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR932, where they were met by officials from the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which announced their return in a statement Tuesday.
Both agencies provided airport assistance and financial support upon the seafarers’ arrival. Their manning agency, Alpha Pearl of the Orient Maritime Inc., coordinated their repatriation and is overseeing their ongoing medical care, authorities said.
The agency has also been directed to ensure both men undergo physical and psychological evaluations, including debriefing sessions, as part of their recovery process.
Philippine authorities said they are coordinating with the family of the deceased sailor to facilitate the repatriation of his remains and provide additional support.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the DMW to remind licensed manning agencies and their foreign principals to strictly observe safety protocols for vessels carrying Filipino crew members through the Black Sea, one of the world’s most hazardous maritime corridors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Philippines is one of the world’s largest suppliers of seafarers, with hundreds of thousands of Filipino nationals working aboard commercial vessels globally.
