PRESS RELEASE
Department of Foreign Affairs
2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                *             Tel. No. 834-4000               *              www.dfa.gov.ph
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No. 303
20 June 2003

DFA works for repatriation of 4 Pinoys killed in tanker blast

The Department of Foreign Affairs, upon instruction of Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas. F. Ople through Acting Secretary Franklin M. Ebdalin, is now working for the early repatriation of the remains of the four Filipino crewmembers who died when an explosion occurred on board their tanker while it was transferring cargo to a smaller vessel.

The M/T EXFINOS, a Greek-registered vessel, caught fire while a smaller vessel, M/T SEBU, was moored alongside.  Both were then along the Kalas coastline, some seven miles off Fujairah and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to one account, there was an explosion at the forecastle of the EXFINOS as it was discharging its cargo into the M/T SEBU. The fire “may have been due to an electric spark from a winch motor, which was used to coil the mooring rope released from theSEBU.”

The four Filipino Able Seamen (AB) who died in the resulting blast were Messrs. Joney L. Marcelino of Capiz, Almie S. Omac of Davao City, Domingo John M. Fernandez II of Quezon City, and Joe Mahence P. Morial of Southern Leyte.

Two other members of the ship’s crew who were in the vicinity survived the explosion.  Their names and nationalities have not yet been disclosed.

The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi has already dispatched the Labor Attaché of the Filipino Labor Center in Dubai to visit the hospital where the survivors are being treated and the remains of the deceased temporarily kept.

The Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) of the DFA has already notified the victims’ families and is currently coordinating with the Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) and the Inter-Orient Maritime Enterprises Inc. -- the Philippine manning agent of the deceased crew - to arrange the shipment home the remains of the dead seamen. – END