Filipino Workers in Ukraine Leave Jobs for Safety, Ships With Filipino Seafarers Hit by Bombs Off The Coast of Odessa Port in Ukraine

PASAY CITY, 28 February 2022 – The crisis in Ukraine has forced Filipino land-based workers and students to quickly evacuate from the country, and has threatened the safety of Filipino seafarers on board ships crossing the Black Sea.

As of 28 February 2022, around 40 Filipinos have been safely evacuated from Ukraine. Some are currently awaiting repatriation flights from Poland, Hungary, and Moldova, while 6 have already been repatriated.

After weeks of coordination with the Filipino community in Ukraine, a team from the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw converged with a group of Filipinos who fled to Lviv. The Embassy team escorted the Filipinos across the border to Poland where they are now awaiting repatriation. The Filipino workers had to quickly leave their jobs to get to safety.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs have received reports that two vessels with Filipino crew members were hit by a bomb and shelling in the Black Sea.

A Marshall Islands-flagged and Turkish-owned commercial cargo ship, Yasa Jupiter, was hit by a bomb off the coast of Ukraine's port city of Odessa on Thursday, 24 February, with 11 Filipino crew members on board.

The Philippine Embassy in Ankara and the Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul immediately coordinated and touched base with Yasa Holding, the Turkish owner of the ship, and confirmed that all crew members, including 11 Filipinos, were not hurt in the incident, are safe, and have contacted their families in the Philippines.

Teams from the Embassy and the Consulate General were present when the vessel arrived in Yalova Sefine Shipyard in Yalova, south of Istanbul, late afternoon of 25 February 2022, Turkish time, to personally speak with the Filipino seafarers.

Another vessel with 21 FIlipino seafarers, the Japanese-owned, Panamanian-flagged grain bulk carrier M/V Namura Queen was hit by a missile strike in the Black Sea off Odessa, and bore damage to its stern. One Filipino crew member fell upon impact and sustained a non-life threatening injury while the rest of the Filipino crew are safe.

According to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, the vessel is currently navigating towards Istanbul for repairs, and was expected to arrive on 27 February 2022. The Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Osaka (POLO-Osaka) are in touch with Nissen Kaiun, the owner of the ship, to monitor the condition of the seafarers. 

The Philippine Embassy in Ankara and Consulate General in Istanbul stand ready to assist the Filipino seafarers upon their disembarkation in Istanbul, and repatriate them should they decide to go home to the Philippines. ###