Featured Post

MABUHAY PRRD!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Manning agency assures help for OFWs in Italian liner mishap

By Jasmine Romero, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Magsaysay Maritime Corporation, the manning agency that supplied crew members for the ill-fated Costa Concordia said all 291 of them have been accounted for.

In an interview with the media, Magsaysay President Marlon Roño said that right after the company found out about the incident, it immediately formed an emergency response team to assess the crew members' condition.

At least three Filipino seafarers have been reported injured after luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground and tipped off the coast of Tuscany, Italy, near the island of Giglio Saturday afternoon.

“As of last night, all the Filipino crew members were safely evacuated and placed in nearby hotels....Everybody is safe, except three of our crew [who] were airlifted to hospitals but they’re okay,” he said.

He said two have suffered from hypothermia while another broke an arm. He said their families have already been informed.

“We have a text and email system...They have an hourly update...The issue now is the family is asking when they’ll come back... it’s not easy. Some of their documents were lost.”

He assured their families, however, that the crew members will not be without jobs after the incident.

Roño said they may have to be transferred or "rotated" to a different cruise line. He said they will have to allow their crew members to rest first.

He also said they will be compensated for the things they lost. All the medical expenses and cost of repatriation will be shouldered by Costa Cruises.

No comments: