Filipino Seafarers Finally Return Home After Remaining Stranded For Months In China

The repatriation of 29 seafarers from the Philippines who had been stranded for months in China after their employer abandoned them is finally complete. The information has come through on Wednesday via the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The DFA has confirmed that eight of the seamen arrived around 3:40 a.m on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The last two landed at around 9:40 a.m.

The first set of the seafarers returned home on 2 December and the rest over the weekend. They were on three Han Rong vessels in May when Global Maritime and Offshore Resources Inc., the employer, and Jenn Yih Song Seafood LTD, the principal abandoned them.

filipino seafarers repatriating
Image Credits: Maritime Industry Authority

The DFA reportedly said that it had taken months of negotiations before the finishing vessels were eventually allowed to debark at a Chinese port. They have also facilitated returning about 440,000 Filipinos from the start of the ongoing pandemic.

The department is also prepared to mount flights in December in Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur besides scheduling repatriations in European and Middle East nations.

Reference: abs-cbn.com

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