THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) yesterday issued Department Order No. 2 prohibiting the deployment of Filipino seafarers onboard passenger and cruise ships set to sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The move comes after recent amendments to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and International Bargaining Forum (IBF) list of “High-Risk Areas” (HRAs) and “War-like Zones” (WLZs) to include the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The order also comes from collective discussions during last month’s meeting with the DMW and the Philippine Maritime Industry Tripartite Council (MITC). The DMW and MITC agreed to underscore the urgent need for stricter protocols to ensure the safety of Filipino seafarers navigating the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The order provides the following guidelines for its strict implementation as follows: licensed manning agencies (LMAs) must sign an “affirmation letter” guaranteeing that the vessels their seafarers board will not navigate the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden and this commitment, along with the vessel’s detailed itinerary, must be submitted to the DMW during the documentation of crew employment contracts or before their deployment; Filipino seafarers listed as crew members onboard the vessels must also sign the affirmation letter acknowledging their vessel will enter the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden; and the affirmation letter executed by the LMAs with the seafarers’ consent must be uploaded to the DMW’s Online Processing System for Sea-based (DOPS-Sea) together with the processed Standard Employment Contract (SEC).

The DMW remained steadfast in its commitment to safeguard the well-being of Filipino seafarers and these measures reflect the DMW’s dedication to ensuring safe working conditions and protecting our seafaring workforce.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Jun I. Legaspi