The two Filipino vessel crew who went missing after being caught in a ship fire across the Arabian Sea near Oman on March 6, 2018, were nautical students having their internship at Maersk and were not yet professional seafarers as earlier reported.
In an exclusive interview with The Filipino Times, Beth Navarro, aunt of one of the Filipino students said that his nephew John Rey Begaso and his bestfriend Janrey Genvantin are both 21-year-old students from the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University (JBLFMU) – Molo campus.
“Best friends yun na magkaklase, na parehong barko ang sinakyan nila. Pareho din silang scholars,” she said.
Navarro added that her nephew could have escaped the accident had he chosen not to extend his trip.
“Bumalik siya sa Maersk. Kulang pa kasi siya ng 18 days para ma-comply niya yung one year na internship niya.” she added.
“Sa 18 days na yun, two days na lang ang naiiwan niya. Yung bestfriend niya na Janrey Genvantin, six days pa. Yung pamangkin ko dapat bababa na ng Singapore.Yung isa bababa ng Suez Canal. Ang nangyari, sumama na lang siya dun. Pina-extend niya para sabay na lang silang bumaba,” Navarro recounted.
Maersk’s shipping vessel Maersk Honam caught fire at around 1520 GMT on March 6, about 900 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman.
A few days after the mishap, Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, released a statement saying, “Given the time passed and the severe fire damages of the vessel we must conclude by now that we have lost all four colleagues who have been missing since the fire onboard Maersk Honam which began on 6 March.”
“All four families of our deceased colleagues have been informed,” it added.
Navarro said they have yet to receive word regarding any findings and information about the remains of the two Filipino students.
Aside from Begaso and Genvatin, seven other Filipino crew members were aboard the vessel when the fire started.
The Filipino Times has tried to reach and get the side of Maersk but they have yet to answer our queries.
