DFA repatriates 571 Filipino seafarers

THE government brought home 571 Filipino crew members of the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship from Orlando, Florida, United States on Sunday, bringing the number of repatriated Filipino seafarers to over 16,000.

Through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the government is doing everything in its power to insure the well-being of the crew members, whose jobs were affected by the global economic downturn due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC and the local manning agency were both cooperative in bringing the crew home.

The DFA assures that the Bureau of Quarantine gave the repatriates a thorough health inspection upon disembarkation. Afterwards, they were subjected to a 14-day, facility-based quarantine that the Department of Health (DoH) certified.

“This batch of repatriation continues to reflect [a] whole-of-government approach as [the] DFA and its major partner agencies remain united towards bringing home distressed OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said a DFA spokesman.

Norwegian Cruise Line ‒ the owner of the Norwegian Breakaway and its sister ship, Norwegian Getaway ‒ shouldered the chartered flights while CF Sharp, the local manning agency of the cruise line, provided land transportation for the OFWs to reach the DoH-inspected and approved facilities.

The crew members remain under the close monitoring of CF Sharp and the Health department.