THE nine Filipino crew members of the ill-fated M/V Eternity C, which was attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in July, are set to be released, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
In a statement, the DFA said it received information from the authorities of the Sultanate of Oman that the nine Filipino seafarers will be freed and will be transferred from Sana'a, Yemen to Muscat, Oman.
The DFA assured the safe and immediate return of the Filipino seafarers to the Philippines.
“The release was the outcome of efforts of Oman, in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro personally discussed the plight of the Filipinos with her Omani counterpart, Foreign Minister Sayed Badr bin Hamad El-Busaidi, during a bilateral meeting in July, and again raised the matter during a phone call in November,” the agency said.
“The Philippines expresses its sincerest appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman,” it added.
On July 8, M/V Eternity C, which had a total of 21 Filipino crew members on board, was attacked by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
The ship sank on July 9.
Three of the 21 Filipino crew members were killed, one went missing and eight have been rescued and have already been safely repatriated and reunited with their families back in the Philippines. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)