The Philippines is preparing to temporarily suspend the deployment of Filipino seafarers to several high-risk areas in the Middle East following a series of deaths and injuries involving its nationals aboard vessels operating in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The country already allows Filipino seafarers to refuse to sail through areas classified as high risk. However, a draft advisory from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), seen by Seatrade Maritime News, would introduce much broader restrictions. The proposed measures would prevent shipowners and crewing agencies from deploying Filipino seafarers on vessels scheduled to transit the Strait of Hormuz, as well as on operations in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
The draft advisory sets out temporary restrictions covering the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. According to the DMW, the decision is driven by “continuing security threats and the grave and imminent risks to the life, safety, health, and welfare of Filipino seafarers”.
Under the proposed rules, Licensed Manning Agents (LMAs), principals, shipowners and ship managers would be instructed not to deploy or assign Filipino crew to vessels scheduled to enter or transit the Strait of Hormuz.
The restrictions would also extend to the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. An exception would apply to vessels operating exclusively within those areas without transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Even in such cases, Filipino seafarers would have to be fully informed about the security risks, individually confirm that they are willing to sail and retain the right to refuse the assignment.
The advisory would also place additional responsibilities on LMAs, shipowners and managers. They would have to arrange reassignment, crew changes, disembarkation, relocation or repatriation for Filipino seafarers serving on vessels entering or transiting the areas covered by the restrictions.
For Filipino crew members already deployed in these locations, agents and shipowners or managers would be required to coordinate with the DMW to arrange their “disembarkation, crew change, relocation, or repatriation at the earliest safe and practicable opportunity”.
The proposed measures would go further for vessels that have previously come under attack. The Philippines would prohibit the deployment of its seafarers aboard any vessel that had previously been attacked if that vessel was due to operate in a high-risk area. The restriction would apply regardless of any subsequent change in the vessel’s flag, ownership or management.
The issue carries particular significance for the Philippines, which is the world’s largest supplier of crew to international shipping. Several Filipino seafarers have been killed or injured in attacks against commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, making the protection of Filipino nationals working overseas, including at sea, a major political issue in the Southeast Asian country.
10 Filipino Seafarers Refuse to Sail Through the Strait of Hormuz
Earlier this week, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the department was investigating shipowners and Philippine manning agencies connected to five vessels carrying Filipino seafarers that had either been attacked or exposed to danger in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea.
The investigation follows the 31 August attack on the Saudi-flagged tanker Sidr in the Strait of Hormuz. Two of the vessel’s 16 Filipino crew members were killed in the incident.
The DMW advisory is expected to be formally issued in the coming days, potentially marking a significant tightening of the Philippines’ approach to the deployment of its seafarers in some of the world’s most dangerous maritime corridors.
