30 July 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, represented by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Rogelio Villanueva, Jr. and his wife, joined the family of the missing Filipino seafarer of the damaged chemical tanker MT Harbour Krystal during the memorial service held last  July 24 at the exact location at sea where the explosion occured onboard the ship on 06 March 2013.

The family members of the missing seaman, officials of the shipping company, captain and crew members of the MT Harbour Krystal,  representatives from the Philippine Embassy and a Portuguese priest boarded the ferry boat at Setubal Port for a two-hour trip that took them to the site of the accident where a mass and memorial service was held. Before that, the shipping company gave a tour onboard the MT Harbour Krystal which has since been repaired at the Lisnave shipyard in Setubal.

Vice Consul Villanueva expressed his gratitude to Mr. Kurt Rye Damkjaer, Nordic Tankers Vice President for Human Resources and Nordic Tanker Crewing Manager and company representative in Manila Jay Babera, for facilitating the trip of the family to Lisbon to visit the MT Harbour Krystal and to hold the prayer service and wreath-laying ceremony at sea.

Mr. Damkjaer said that the company recognizes the difficult ordeal the family is going through since the disappearance of their loved one and that in order to provide spiritual comfort to the family, they also arranged a special tour at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

After the ceremony, Mr. Villanueva relayed the Embassy’s deepest sympathy to the seaman’s wife and two children and the other relatives present. He assured them of the Philippine Embassy’s continued support for the family´s desire to recover his body and to know the real cause of the accident. In return, they thanked the Embassy for its full support and untiring efforts in coordinating with concerned authorities to provide regular updates and information to them. END