MANILA, Philippines – A total of 900 Filipino seafarers from various cruise ships in Miami, Florida have arrived in Manila on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
In a statement, the DFA said the Filipino sailors were repatriated from the Norwegian Dawn and Star, and MSC Armonia, Meraviglia, Seaside, and Divina Cruise ships.
The group was brought home through chartered flights facilitated by the DFA through the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Affairs.
This is the latest batch of repatriated Filipino seafarers as novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to threaten ships across the globe.
On Wednesday, 881 Filipino sailors were repatriated from other cruise ships in the United States.
“The continuing repatriation effort is in coordination with other government agencies including the DOH, DOT, DoTr, BI, BOQ, MIAA, and the local manning agencies as part of the whole-of-nation approach in helping our stranded Filipino seafarers,” the DFA said.
The department said that all repatriated seafarers will undergo mandatory quarantine as a precautionary measure before their eventual travel back to their respective homes.
