MANILA, Philippines — Philippine authorities launched an investigation Tuesday into shipowners and recruitment agencies connected to five commercial vessels that were attacked or exposed to danger in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea, leaving two Filipino sailors dead.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac told reporters the probe will examine whether companies violated regulations governing the deployment of Filipino seafarers to designated high-risk and war-like zones. That includes a recent government directive barring agencies from placing Filipino crews aboard vessels navigating the northern Black Sea.
The investigation follows an Aug. 31 attack in the Strait of Hormuz on the Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker MT SIDR, which carried 16 Filipino crew members. Two sailors were killed.
Cacdac said 14 surviving crew members were scheduled to return to the Philippines late Tuesday after receiving assistance from Philippine diplomatic posts in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The remains of the two victims were transported to Al-Qasab in northern Oman while arrangements for their repatriation are being finalized.
Authorities are also monitoring four incidents in the northern Black Sea, an area Philippine defense and foreign affairs officials have categorized as one of full-scale international armed conflict.
In one Black Sea incident, the cargo vessel MV Gingo caught fire on its deck after being struck while docked in Odesa, Ukraine. All 26 Filipino crew members evacuated safely, with repatriation planned for Sept. 10 or 11.
Three other vessels carrying Filipino crews in the Black Sea region also faced peril but reached safety with no reported injuries:
The MV Nostos, carrying 23 Filipino crew members, was attacked in the northern Black Sea before reaching port in Turkey, with repatriation anticipated around Sept. 11. The MT Siren, carrying 21 Filipino seafarers, was attacked Sept. 4 and has since reached safe harbor to prepare for evacuation. A fourth vessel, the MV Chara, with 12 Filipino crew members aboard, was traveling from Turkey to Bulgaria, where an evacuation was planned.
Cacdac announced he will travel Wednesday night to Dubai to meet directly with representatives of the involved shipowner. He said investigators will determine whether employers respected mandatory safety protocols, including the right of seafarers to refuse to sail into hazardous waters, the submission of pre-voyage risk assessments, and the provision of armed security or military escort when traversing combat zones.
Recruitment agencies found to have breached government deployment bans face potential administrative sanctions, including heavy fines and license suspensions.
The Philippines is also awaiting updated threat assessments from its foreign affairs and defense ministries regarding the Strait of Hormuz to determine whether to restrict or prohibit Filipino sailors from boarding vessels transiting the vital waterway.
