LONDON/ATHENS — Chaos struck the high seas after the Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht was hit by an explosive device in the Gulf of Aden, forcing a dramatic helicopter rescue of its 19 crew members.
The rescued sailors included Russians, Ukrainians, Sri Lankans—and at least one Filipino. According to the EU maritime mission Aspides, one crew member was wounded but stable, while another sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Djibouti for urgent treatment.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed it is working with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to verify the status of Filipino seafarers aboard.
“The Department of Migrant Workers may verify with manning agencies if Filipinos were part of the crew and ascertain their conditions,” DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said.
As of posting, the DMW has yet to release an official statement.
The Minervagracht was left ablaze and drifting at sea after the explosion, according to Aspides and the ship’s Amsterdam-based operator, Spliethoff. The vessel was about 128 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s port city of Aden when the blast struck.
It remains unclear who launched the attack. However, suspicion falls on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who since 2023 have targeted multiple ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The group claims its assaults are acts of solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
If confirmed, this would be the first Houthi strike on a commercial vessel since September 1, when the Israeli-owned tanker Scarlet Ray came under fire near Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have also been linked to previous attacks, including the July sinking of the Magic Seas and Eternity C carriers, and the assault on the Singapore-flagged Lobivia earlier this year.
For now, the Minervagracht burns and drifts in open waters—another stark reminder of the growing dangers faced by international seafarers, many of them Filipinos, who keep global trade moving despite the risks of war at sea.
