Nine Filipino seafarers captured by Yemen’s Houthi group after the sinking of the M/V Eternity C are set to be released soon, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Tuesday.

Oman informed the Philippines that the group will be transferred from Sana’a, Yemen, to Muscat, Oman, before being brought home.

The DFA said the Philippine Embassy in Muscat and the Migrant Workers Office-Muscat will handle the sailors’ safe transfer and arrange their immediate repatriation once they reach Oman. The Philippine government also expressed its appreciation to Oman for helping make the release possible.

According to the DFA, Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro had discussed the condition of the Filipino crew with Omani Foreign Minister Sayed Badr bin Hamad El-Busaidi during a bilateral meeting in July and again in a phone call in November. Officials said these talks contributed to the progress made in securing the seafarers’ freedom.

The nine crew members were part of the 22-person team on board the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C, which sank in the Red Sea in July after repeated Houthi attacks using sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades.

Video Credits: Associated Press/YouTube

Twenty-one of the crew were Filipinos. Eight were rescued, three were reported dead and one remained unaccounted for after the incident.

The Houthis had earlier released a video of the attack and said they had taken some survivors to a safe location. The sinking of the Eternity C and another vessel, the Magic Seas, happened within days of each other and marked the end of several months without major Houthi attacks in the area. The group has said its operations target vessels linked to Israel amid the Gaza conflict.

The renewed attacks caused many shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea, a route that usually handles around 12% of global trade. In response, the Philippine government barred Filipino seafarers from boarding ships that pass through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Department of Migrant Workers also required manning agencies to give written guarantees that Filipino crew on passenger or cruise vessels would avoid these “war-like zones.”

The DFA has not given a specific timeline for when the nine seafarers will be released or repatriated, but coordination with Oman is ongoing to ensure they return home safely.

References: PNA, Filipino Times