6 Filipino sailors home nearly 2 months after Red Sea attack

MANILA: Six Filipino crew members of Houthi-attacked oil tanker M/T Wind arrived home Friday night. The Filipino seafarers aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR512 landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal in Parañaque City, according to a Facebook post of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Saturday. The vessel had 23 Filipino crew members when Houthi rebels launched one anti-ship ballistic missile off Yemen's Red Sea past midnight on May 18 (local time), hitting the Panamanian-flagged and Greek-owned and -operated oil tanker. M/T Wind came from Sheskharis terminal in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk where it loaded oil and was bound for China, according to international reports. 'A coalition vessel immediately responded to the distress call by M/T Wind, but no assistance was needed. The crew of M/T Wind was able to restore propulsion and steering, and no casualties were reported. M/T Wind resumed its course under its own power,' reported the United States Central Comm and. The OWWA airport ream welcomed the Filipinos, who received financial aid, food and transportation assistance, and hotel accommodation. Other international vessels with Filipino sailors attacked in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden were M/V Galaxy Leader, M/V True Confidence, M/V Tutor and M/V Transworld Navigator. The MV Tutor, with 22 Filipinos onboard, was attacked on June 12 while traversing the Red Sea. Twenty-one returned home on June 17 but one remained missing. Source: Philippines News Agency