12 November 2020, Xiamen City. Five (5) Filipino seafarers onboard Chinese fishing vessel MV Ocean Mariner were successfully repatriated on 11 November 2020. MV Ocean Mariner sailed from Mawei, Fuzhou City, PROC on 08 November 2020.

The Filipinos have been stranded in Fujian waters since 19 September 2020.

The repatriation was delayed due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco), which entered Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) a day before the arrival of the repatriated Filipinos, almost caused the cancellation of the repatriation. Fortunately, MV Ocean Mariner was able to dock in Manila at 0050H, 11 November 2020 when the typhoon has not yet impacted sea conditions in Manila.

The five Filipinos were assisted by their local manning agency (LMA) once they disembarked from the fishing vessel.

The Consulate General expresses its appreciation for the cooperation of the employers and LMA of the Filipino seafarers that made the repatriation successful.

For more information, visit www.dfa.gov.ph, www.facebook.com/dfaphl, and @dfaphl on Twitter. END