DFA welcomes home 571 seafarers; total number of repatriated OFWs now over 16,000

April 19, 2020

On Sunday morning, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) breached the 16,000-mark of repatriated seafarers as two consecutive flights carrying a total of 571 Filipino crew of Norwegian Breakaway were brought home from Orlando, Florida to Manila.

Implementing the stringent quarantine protocol, the repatriates underwent thorough health inspection by the Bureau of Quarantine upon disembarkation.

They will be subjected to 14-day facility based quarantine as certified to by the Department of Health (DOH).

With the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC and the local manning agency at the forefront, this batch of repatriation continues to reflect whole-of-government approach as DFA OUMWA and its major partner agencies, DOH, OWWA and DoTR, remain united towards bringing home distressed OFWs brought about by the COVID pandemic.

The Norwegian Cruise Lines paid for the chartered flights while CF Sharp, the local manning agency of Norwegian Breakaway, provided land transportation to bring the repatriates to their assigned DOH-approved and inspected quarantine facilities.

The repatriates will remain under close monitoring of their manning agency and DOH. DMS