Philippines Welcomes UN Call for Seafarer Protection in Hormuz

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines welcomed the call by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, for urgent action to protect thousands of seafarers facing a grave humanitarian and human rights crisis around the Strait of Hormuz. The statement issued by the UN rights chief reported that at least 6,000 seafarers aboard some 400 vessels remain stranded in the area, with many others unaccounted for. Some seafarers have reportedly been abandoned by shipowners without adequate food, water, fuel, medical care or means of communicating with their families and without arrangements for repatriation or the payment of wages owed to them. The statement also reported that 17 seafarers have been killed since the conflict began. Türk stressed that attacks against civilian vessels, which are protected under international humanitarian law, are unacceptable. “The protection and safe repatriation of stranded seafarers is both a human rights obligation and a humanitarian imperative,” Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the UN, Carlos Sorreta, said. Meanwhile, 18 Filipino seafarers arrived in Manila on Saturday after two vessels were attacked in Ukraine. Thirteen Filipino crew members of Venturo and five on Inase were repatriated following a drone attack in the Black Sea. — Christine Boton, Rhodina Villanueva