23 RP seafarers to arrive home soon - DFA

MANILA, Philippines - The 23 Filipino seafarers manning the recently freed chemical tanker will be arriving in Manila on the weekend, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, told reporters on Monday that the MT Stolt Strength is expected to dock on Wednesday at a safe port, which he refused to identify.

But Conejos assured that the Filipino crew is safe with the Chinese navy escorting them to safer waters. [See: Chinese navy plays Good Samarian to RP vessel]

The DFA official reiterated that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has directed the Labor department to ban the deployment of Filipino seafarers in vessels that ply the Gulf of Aden, a piracy hotspot in the Horn of Africa.

The Department of Labor and Employment is reportedly preparing the guidelines.

Conejos urges manning agencies to advise ships with Filipino seafarers to traverse the high-seas through maritime security corridor patrolled by combined maritime task force
of Germany, US and China.

On Tuesday morning, pirates released 23 Filipino seafarers on board the Philippine-flagged and operated MT Stolt Strength, which was hijacked for more than five months. Shipowners refused to say whether ransom was paid for the release of the ship and crew. - GMANews.TV

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