Philippines breached the 13,000-mark of repatriated seafarers today, as on April 13 the DFA welcomed home seven seafarers from MSC Sinfonia, 47 seafarers from Norwegian Jewel and six distressed OFWs from Doha, Qatar.
As of 13 April 2020, a total of 81 OFWs sheltered by the PH Embassy in Doha have been sent home in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Philippines are one of the world’s biggest suppliers of seafarers on international ships. COVID-19 has left thousands of its seafarers stuck on merchant and cruise ships unable to return homes.
The Philippine Embassy in Washington DC was responsible for the repatriation of the seafarers who were stranded in Miami, USA and in Barbados, along with the repatriates’ local manning agency, CF Sharp, and cruise line companies, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) and Spirit and Oceania Cruises.
The country is also trying to repatriate its seafarers from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The repatriation wave comes in the midst of increasing calls for countries and port authorities to facilitate crew changes and enable the stranded mariners to return to their homes.
