13 seamen stranded in China back home

Thirteen Filipino seafarers who were stranded since last year on board their ship in China are finally back home, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The seafarers arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday morning via China Southern Airlines from Guangzhou.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said in a statement that the DFA coordinated with the shipping agent and the licensed manning agency, Magsaysay Maritime Corp., on the concerns and welfare of the seafarers.

The seafarer’s ship, MV Angelic Power, had been docked at Guishan Port in Zhuhai, Guangdong, since July 2020.

—TINA G. SANTOS