ILOILO City – Twelve Western Visayan seafarers remained missing in chilly waters off southwestern Japan almost a week after their China-bound cargo ship capsized.
Two more Filipino crewmembers of Panamanian-flagged vessel Gulf Livestock 1’s 39 were added to the initial list of 10 seafarers from Region 6, according to Rizza Joy Moldes, regional director of the Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA).
“Initially we had 10 but for now confirmed 12 na ka mga seafarers came from the region,” said Moldes.
The two other seafarers, she said, were not initially on the list of OWWA-6 since they used their Metro Manila addresses on their papers, and not their local addresses.
Of these 12 seamen, one was from Bacolod City, two from Iloilo City and nine from Iloilo province (Pototan, Zarraga, Tubungan, Oton, Guimbal and Santa Barbara).
Their 11,947-ton freighter – loaded with nearly 6,000 live cattle – left the port of Napier in New Zealand on Aug. 14 for the port of Tangshan in China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days but the ship encountered a typhoon.
According Moldes, the number of missing seafarers from Region 6 may possibly increase in the coming days.
Several families, she said, have coordinated to the OWWA asking for updates.
“We are trying to contact trace because some listed their Manila addresses,” said Moldes.
Coordination is ongoing with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Embassy in Osaka, Japan.
Rescue operations were suspended over the weekend as a second storm is expected to slam the area on Sunday.
Restarting the mission will depend on weather conditions, Moldes said./PN
