The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi has announced the repatriation of 15 of 21 Filipino seafarers who were left stranded in India after they were abandoned by the shipowner in June.
In a report, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the distressed Filipino seamen were repatriated on Saturday after completing documentary procedures in Chennai.
Ambassador Ma. Teresita C. Daza said the remaining six crewmembers of MV Evangelia M will also be repatriated as soon as their exit clearances are issued.
Daza said the Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Chennai coordinated with Indian port authorities and the Admiral Shipping Agency, the local agent in India, for the resolution of the case.
In Manila, the DFA made representations with the local manning agency, Evic Human Resource Management Inc., for the payment of the seafarers’ remaining salaries and the provision of legal assistance.
Daza said the Embassy and the Consulate General in Chennai also visited the seafarers in Kakinada to look into their situation and provided them with cash assistance.
Earlier, the private lawyers who were hired by the Embassy to handle the case filed charges against the employers applied for the seafarers’ exit clearances.
Sometime in June, the Greek owners of the vessel MV Evangelia M abandoned its 21 Filipino crewmembers in the southern port city of Kakinada, about 1,800 kilometers from the capital New Delhi.
MV Evangelia M is a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier.
During the initial stage of the repatriation process, Evic Human Resource Management provided a total of P1 million (approximately $18,491.54) in cash assistance to the families of the seafarers and assured them of their remaining salaries. (Roy C. Mabasa)
