13 Stranded Seafarers Rescued From Ship Off Iloilo Coast

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Thirteen crew members stranded for more than two months aboard the cargo vessel MV Hirman Star off the coast of Loboc, Lapuz in Iloilo City were rescued Monday evening, June 30.

The rescue was initiated after the crew reached out to the office of Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne “Jam” Baronda on June 28.

Baronda met with officials of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Monday morning to coordinate their release and extend assistance.

DMW and OWWA committed PHP100,000 in financial aid to the distressed crew during the rescue operation.

The rescued seafarers were scheduled for debriefing and medical evaluation on Tuesday.

A DMW- and OWWA-supervised crewing agency will facilitate their repatriation.

The ship’s crew includes six Filipinos and seven Indian nationals.

Three of the Filipino crew members are from Tigbauan, San Joaquin, and Estancia in Iloilo.

They joined MV Hirman Star on April 3, 2025, through Erika Crew Manning Services.

The ship arrived in Iloilo from Vietnam in August 2024, carrying bagged rice.

While anchored in Iloilo, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Port State Control boarded the vessel and found expired trading certificates and three months’ worth of unpaid salaries for the Indian crew.

This prompted the vessel’s detention.

Although the PCG lifted the detention order on April 12 and the Philippine Ports Authority granted port clearance on May 7, the ship failed to depart due to technical issues.

On May 8, the crew began departure preparations for Singapore.

During system checks, they discovered the gyro compass was inoperable.

The vessel’s owner allegedly refused repairs and instructed the captain to sail using only a magnetic compass, which the ship’s master refused due to safety concerns.

As delays continued, the crew attempted to correct a starboard list by ballasting the vessel.

In the process, they discovered a crack on the port side of the bulbous bow, leading to water ingress.

Citing these risks, the crew unanimously declared the ship unseaworthy and refused to sail.

They reported only receiving partial salaries for April, with full May wages still withheld.

The shipowner reportedly demanded the vessel depart before paying the remaining dues, despite the crew’s refusal on safety grounds.

The crew also said their last food and water delivery was on May 12, forcing them to endure severe shortages for over six weeks.