Search for missing Pinoys aboard MV Bulk Jupiter ends, missing crew deemed lost
Search-and-rescue operations for the 16 missing Filipino crew of the MV Bulk Jupiter, which sank off Vietnam last January 2, have officially ended, with the missing crewmembers deemed lost.
The Department of Labor and Employment disclosed this Thursday, even as it said the relatives of the seafarers had received the benefits due them.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz cited a letter from Magsaysay Maritime Corp. CEO Alexander Querol that the search-and-rescue efforts had ended.
"He also informed me Gearbulk had settled all of the Filipino seafarer-victims’ contractual benefits and the families and beneficiaries have claimed these in Manila with the assistance of the DOLE,” she said in a statement.
She also quoted Querol as saying that ship owner Gearbulk Norway "committed to extend other benefits, particularly scholarships for the children/sibling(s) of the crew.”
On the other hand, the DOLE said Querol's letter indicated "Gearbulk Norway had also declared the missing crew lost."
Tragedy
The MV Jupiter sank off the coast of Vietnam last Jan. 2, with a load of iron ore. Magsaysay Maritime Corp. is the local manning agency of Gearbulk Norway. It had a crew of 19 Filipinos.
Of the 19, only chief cook Angelito Rojas was rescued and is undergoing physical therapy for injuries. Gearbulk Norway is shouldering his therapy costs.
“As we assured, they have received all the benefits due them in accordance with their employment contracts and the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements covering the shipowner and the Associated Marine Officers and Seafarers Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) of which the seafarers are members,” said Baldoz.
2 fatalities
The DOLE said the remains of the ship master, Capt. Ronel Andrin, had been cremated in Manila, while the remains of C/O Karl Resos Abogadie had been buried in his hometown in Leyte.
Gearbulk and Magsaysay Maritime Corp. held a memorial service for the kin of the missing crew, it added.
Meanwhile, Baldoz emphasized the DOLE’s concern is to ensure the welfare of Filipino seafarers and their families, especially when maritime accidents happen.
She said 300,000 Filipino seafarers are deployed annually, and there is always the chance of a Filipino seafarer being aboard a ship reported involved in an accident anywhere in the world. —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News
The Department of Labor and Employment disclosed this Thursday, even as it said the relatives of the seafarers had received the benefits due them.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz cited a letter from Magsaysay Maritime Corp. CEO Alexander Querol that the search-and-rescue efforts had ended.
"He also informed me Gearbulk had settled all of the Filipino seafarer-victims’ contractual benefits and the families and beneficiaries have claimed these in Manila with the assistance of the DOLE,” she said in a statement.
She also quoted Querol as saying that ship owner Gearbulk Norway "committed to extend other benefits, particularly scholarships for the children/sibling(s) of the crew.”
On the other hand, the DOLE said Querol's letter indicated "Gearbulk Norway had also declared the missing crew lost."
Tragedy
The MV Jupiter sank off the coast of Vietnam last Jan. 2, with a load of iron ore. Magsaysay Maritime Corp. is the local manning agency of Gearbulk Norway. It had a crew of 19 Filipinos.
Of the 19, only chief cook Angelito Rojas was rescued and is undergoing physical therapy for injuries. Gearbulk Norway is shouldering his therapy costs.
“As we assured, they have received all the benefits due them in accordance with their employment contracts and the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements covering the shipowner and the Associated Marine Officers and Seafarers Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) of which the seafarers are members,” said Baldoz.
2 fatalities
The DOLE said the remains of the ship master, Capt. Ronel Andrin, had been cremated in Manila, while the remains of C/O Karl Resos Abogadie had been buried in his hometown in Leyte.
Gearbulk and Magsaysay Maritime Corp. held a memorial service for the kin of the missing crew, it added.
Meanwhile, Baldoz emphasized the DOLE’s concern is to ensure the welfare of Filipino seafarers and their families, especially when maritime accidents happen.
She said 300,000 Filipino seafarers are deployed annually, and there is always the chance of a Filipino seafarer being aboard a ship reported involved in an accident anywhere in the world. —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News
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