THE Philippine government through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) intensified the search for the 24 Filipino seafarers who are reportedly working aboard Russia’s shadow fleet.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo said the information was relayed to him by Ukrainian Ambassador Yulia Fediv during a recent courtesy call.
The information was later confirmed by the DMW, stating that it has identified the 24 Filipino seafarers.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac however said that the seafarers’ location is unknown.
“We do not know where they are. Their safety can’t be guaranteed. That’s the peril of joining the shadow fleet. This is a serious matter and we will get to the bottom of this within the next 23, 48 hours so we can locate our compatriots,” Cacdac said.
The Russian shadow fleet is a clandestine network of vessels operated by Russia to evade sanctions, following the enactment of the 2022 Russian crude oil price cap sanctions by the G7 countries and European Union, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Shadow fleet vessels are typically not registered under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) system and are unlikely to carry insurance and war coverage.
Cacdac also said that the agency is verifying if the crew were legally deployed.
“We are specifically investigating whether there are licensed manning agencies who are cohorts or responsible for this,” he said.
He added that the crew may have been deployed to legitimate destinations then was later transferred to shadow fleet vessels.
Cacdac declined to disclose the identity of the seafarers until their families are informed.
He warned other Filipino seafarers from working onboard such vessels, noting that these are unregistered, unseaworthy, and risky.
