MANILA — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced a ban on the deployment of Filipino seafarers on cruise and passenger ships passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The prohibition, encapsulated in Department Order 2, was signed by DMW officer-in-charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac and is effective immediately.
According to Philippines News Agency, the order directs licensed manning agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that vessels being boarded by Filipino seafarers will not traverse these zones. The action follows the inclusion of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the recent amendments to the International Transport Workers' Federation and International Bargaining Forum list of 'High-Risk Areas' and 'War-like Zones'.
Department Order 2 mandates all licensed manning agencies to execute an affirmation letter stating that the ship to be boarded by their respective seafarers will not pass through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. This letter must outline the vessel's itinerary each time its employment contract is documented, or before seafarers' deployment.
The order also requires that seafarers assigned to passenger and cruise ships sign the affirmation letter, confirming their awareness that the vessel they will board will not enter the designated war-like operations areas. The affirmation letter, once duly executed by the agencies and consented to by the seafarers, must be uploaded to the DMW Online Processing System for Seabased along with the processed one-page standard employment contract. For manual processing, the affirmation letter will form part of the required documents submitted to the DMW's Sea-based Accreditation Bureau.
In March, the DMW and the Philippine Maritime Industry Tripartite Council convened to emphasize the need for stringent protocols to ensure the safety of Filipino seafarers navigating these high-risk waters. Undersecretary Cacdac affirmed the DMW's commitment to safeguarding the well-being of Filipino seafarers, stating that these measures reflect the department's dedication to ensuring safe working conditions and protecting the seafaring workforce.