MANILA — Reissuing a suite of protective policies, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reminded all Licensed Manning Agencies ( LMAs) and accredited foreign principals to strictly comply with safety protocols, reportorial obligations, and seafarers' rights as attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea continue to escalate.
In Advisory No. 48, Series of 2026, the DMW emphasized that the advisory serves as a formal reiteration of existing government mandates designed to safeguard Overseas Filipino Workers at sea.
The advisory explicitly reminds manning agencies and employers to uphold prior directives. These include Department Order No. 01, Series of 2024, which mandates compliance with International Bargaining Forum (IBF) and International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) High-Risk and Warlike Zone designations while enforcing the Right to Refuse Sailing. The agency also underscored Department Order No. 03, Series of 2024, regarding deployments on vessels traversing attacked high-risk zones, as well as Advisory No. 21, Series of 2025, which orders urgent ship rerouting, enforces refusal rights, and mandates the appointment of a dedicated Seafarers’ Welfare and Crisis Management Officer.
Additionally, agencies must strictly align with periodic IBF and ITF updates regarding high-risk area listings and related maritime guidelines.
To ensure compliance for vessels entering or operating within the Black Sea, the DMW laid out eight specific operational directives.
Employers must first conduct mandatory pre-transit risk assessments before any ship enters or transits the Black Sea War and High-Risk Area. Furthermore, no Filipino seafarer may be deployed without signing a voluntary written consent, executed only after receiving a full briefing on the prevailing security situation and associated risks.
The DMW emphasized that companies must honor a seafarer's decision to refuse sailing in designated risk zones, arrange their immediate repatriation, and provide proper compensation and benefits. The department warned that no crew member who validly exercises this right shall be subjected to discrimination, retaliation, intimidation, blacklisting, or any other adverse employment action. For those who do consent, employers are required to implement protective contingencies to limit risks and faithfully provide all appropriate compensation and benefits.
Vessels are also required to maintain full compliance with internationally recognized maritime security standards, including active ship security plans, emergency response protocols, and protective measures consistent with industry best practices.
To enforce compliance, manning agencies must immediately notify the department via the DMW Overseas Workers Monitoring System and copy furnish the agency through sbhighrisk@dmw.gov.ph before any vessel carrying Filipino crew enters or transits the Black Sea. These submissions must detail the vessel’s itinerary, estimated transit period,
Filipino crew count, security measures adopted by the principal, and the individual consent or refusal status of every crew member.
Agencies must ensure continuous monitoring of all deployed crew members operating in the region while maintaining close coordination among foreign principals, vessel masters, and the department. Any critical security development—including missile strikes, drone attacks, vessel detentions, piracy, or armed assaults—must be reported immediately through the monitoring system and the designated high-risk email address.
The DMW added that public inquiries, feedback, and welfare concerns may be directed to its official website at www.dmw.gov.ph, via email at feedback@dmw.gov.ph, or through its hotlines at 8722-1152, 8722-1155, 8822-1159, and 8734-3665.
