Pinoy captain vows to return to sea after Houthi attack

MV Tutor captain Christian Domarique has vowed to return to the seas after he and 20 other Filipino seafarers were rescued from a June 12 Houthi attack.

-  RUDY SANTOS

“We first need to rest because of the trauma,” Domarique said yesterday at a press conference at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

“We will recover for a few months before returning,” he added.

Houthi rebels in the Red Sea attacked the Greek-owned and Liberia-flagged MV Tutor, which carried a crew of 22 Filipinos.

One of them is missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room. Search operations are underway.

Domarique recalled that a remote-controlled “dummy” skiff hit the vessel on the right side and exploded.

A drone caused a second explosion on the other side of the ship, he added.

“We could not determine where the enemy was, if they would be coming from above or at sea. The ship was almost submerged after a few minutes,” Domarique said.

“We tried to locate our missing fellow seafarer in the engine room but we couldn’t concentrate due to the water coming in,” he added.

Combined international forces rescued the crew on June 14 and the US Navy brought them to Bahrain.

Before arriving in Manila, the seafarers were given financial assistance of 192 dinars or P30,000 as they met with Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Health (DOH).