The Philippine Embassy in the UAE, in collaboration with authorities in the country, facilitated the repatriation of over 400 stranded Filipino seafarers in their joint effort to reunite the seafarers with their families back in the Philippines.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE H.E. Hjayceelyn Quintana personally checked each bus boarded by Filipino crew members of the Norwegian Cruise Line ships that were stranded at the Abu Dhabi and Dubai ports. Ambassador Quintana assured each of the Filipinos headed to Dubai for the repatriation that concerned agencies from the UAE and PH governments are working hand-in-hand to ensure their safe flight towards home.
The buses headed towards the Dubai Airport as the Filipino seafarers were repatriated in two batches: 207 last April 11, and another 208 on April 12 via Emirates Airlines.
Ambassador Quintana expresses her gratitude for the public and private entities invovled in the safe repatriation of the Filipino seafarers including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC), Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai Police, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, and Emirates Airlines for their assistance in providing safe passage amid the current restrictions brought about by COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon arrival, the Philippines’ Department of Health Bureau of Quarantine will have all seafarers undergo thorough screening. The seafarers from the UAE will also meet with representatives from the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) and counterparts from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
