16 Filipino sailors left in China return home

MANILA, Philippines – Sixteen Filipino seafarers, who have been stranded in China for months, will return home on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Three land-based overseas Filipino workers will also join the repatriation. The DFA, in a statement Monday, said the Filipinos will arrive in Manila around 1 a.m.

According to the DFA, 11 of the 16 returning Filipino seafarers are from Ocean Star 86. They have been stranded in Dongshan, China since March of this year.

Meanwhile, the other five sailors on board M / V María P. have been stranded in the coastal city of Ningde since July 2020.

“Both are Chinese fishing vessels that were affected by China’s ‘no landing’ policy as a precautionary measure due to the pandemic and the unavailability of commercial flights,” said the DFA.

Through the Consulate General of the Philippines in Xiamen, the DFA said it has been monitoring the condition of the seafarers since they were stranded.

“The Consulate has been providing them with social assistance and made sure that their wages and other rights are provided by their employer,” he added.

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