After weeks stranded aboard a neglected cargo ship, all 14 Filipino crew members of the Somali-flagged M/V Afadja have finally made it back to the Philippines. The last group touched down at NAIA Terminal 3, closing a difficult chapter for the seafarers and their families.
According to an update from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the remaining nine crew members arrived on the evening of July 4, 2026, aboard Turkish Airlines Flight TK 084. Their homecoming completed the repatriation effort that began when the first batch of five seafarers landed on June 22, 2026.
A Homecoming After Hard Conditions
The seafarers had been left behind in Türkiye, living on a vessel with no electricity and no clean drinking water. Their situation drew urgent attention from Philippine authorities, who moved to bring them home in two groups.
Representatives from the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) met the crew at the airport. The agencies made sure the men had immediate help waiting for them, including:
- Airport assistance upon arrival
- Financial aid to cover urgent needs
- Temporary hotel accommodation
- Transportation support to their next destinations
Care Beyond the Arrival Gate
Support for the crew did not end at the terminal. The DMW said the seafarers will be referred to a Department of Health-accredited hospital for psychosocial counseling. Being abandoned far from home takes a toll, and officials want to make sure the men recover emotionally as well as physically.
The workers also have unfinished business with their former employer. The DMW will provide legal assistance as the crew pursues claims for unpaid wages and other benefits they are still owed.
Coordinated Effort Across Borders
Getting the crew home took teamwork across several offices. The Philippine Embassy in Ankara and the Migrant Workers Office in Lebanon led the coordination on the ground. Both offices also shouldered the crew’s airfare and handed out emergency financial assistance so the men could leave Türkiye without further delay.
What This Means for OFWs
For Filipino seafarers working abroad, this case is a reminder that help is available when things go wrong at sea. Abandonment cases remain a real risk in the shipping industry, and the safe return of the M/V Afadja crew shows how embassies, labor offices, and welfare agencies can work together to protect Filipino workers.
All 14 men are now reunited with their loved ones and beginning the process of rebuilding their lives at home.