18 Pinoy seamen repatriated from Nigeria

Six Filipino seamen who were among the 19 Filipino crew of the vessel set on fire by militants in Nigeria last month are set to arrive today at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

DFA spokesman Claro Cristobal said the repatriation of the Filipino crew of M/T Keno will be done in two batches.

Cristobal said the first batch of seamen will arrive at 10:30 p.m. via EK 334 while the second batch of 12 seafarers will arrive at 9:45 a.m. tomorrow via KL 803.

The DFA identified the Filipino seaman killed in the vessel fire as Vito C. Cruz. His remains will be repatriated next week.

Last Wednesday, the DFA confirmed that one of the 19 Filipino seamen of an oil tanker attacked by militants in River State in Nigeria was killed last Dec. 19.

A jetty fire that originated from an attack of local militants reached the vessel, causing its oil tank to explode and prompting the 19 Filipino seamen to jump off the vessel. Later the body of one of the seamen, who suffered burns in his body, was found floating off Nigerian waters.

The Philippine Embassy in Abuja sent a consular team to Port Harcourt last Dec. 26 to arrange the repatriation of the fatality and the 18 crew members to Lagos.

The 18 seamen were also trapped in a hotel following the New Year’s Eve attack by local militants on police precincts and on the hotel where they were staying.

The repatriation of the Filipinos was delayed because of scheduling problems and the unstable security condition in the area.

Pancho Laguitan, one of the survivors, said violence broke out in the Port Harcourt area in Nigeria on New Year’s Day. 

He said they were advised by Philippine Embassy officials to stay inside the hotel until tension died down.