MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino sailor was killed and 21 others survived an attack on their tanker in the Persian Gulf, prompting Philippine authorities to review security risks and consider additional safeguards for seafarers, a Cabinet official said Monday.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the tanker Veloz Sapphire was attacked early Nov. 5 while carrying 22 Filipino crew members. The vessel has since reached a safe port.
Authorities are preparing to bring home the sailor’s remains and assisting the surviving crew members with their return to the Philippines, Cacdac told reporters at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The Department of Migrant Workers has requested security assessments from the foreign affairs and defense departments to determine whether the attack was isolated or signals a broader threat to shipping in the Persian Gulf.
Cacdac described it as the first reported attack of its kind in the Persian Gulf, distinguishing the location from the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
The Philippine News Agency report did not identify the attackers or describe how the assault was carried out.
Cacdac said the government was assisting the sailor’s family under instructions from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to provide all possible support.
“I personally conveyed the President’s condolences and assurances of support to the family,” Cacdac said, adding that he planned to visit them.
He said authorities would take preventive action if the security threat spread across the Persian Gulf to protect Filipino crew members from further casualties.
