Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt Assists in Repatriation of Filipino Seafarers from MV Amadea

FRANKFURT 04 April 2020 – The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt assisted in the repatriation to Manila of 16 Filipino seafarers from the cruise ship MV Amadea at Frankfurt Airport last April 04.

The German cruise ship MV Amadea operated by Schulte Cruise arrived in Bremerhaven Port on April 02 where it disembarked more than five hundred passengers and crew. The company reported no incidence of COVID-19 on the ship. From Bremerhaven, the seafarers were ferried in a bus chartered by the company to Frankfurt Airport that took approximately five hours.

At the airport, Consul Rogelio Villanueva Jr. addressed the seafarers and assured them of the government’s commitment to ensure their safe and early return to the Philippines. He also briefed the seafarers on the implementation of quarantine procedures by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), as well as the assistance to be extended by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) upon their arrival in Manila.

The successful repatriation of the seafarers from MV Amadea was made possible through joint efforts of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Berlin who coordinated with the Department of Health, Bureau of Quarantine, Schulte Cruise, and the BSM Crew Service Center Manila. END