Ten Filipino crew members of the MT Aqua 1, a tanker struck by an Iranian cruise missile while operating in Qatari waters, have returned to the Philippines after being repatriated through coordinated government and private sector efforts.
The group landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on April 17, 2026, aboard a Malaysia Airlines flight.
Government assistance was waiting for them on arrival. Officials from the Department of Migrant Workers, led by Director Augusto B. San Diego, met the returning seafarers at the airport alongside representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which provided financial aid. The workers were also informed of available government programs covering free skills training, livelihood support, and re-employment facilitation.
Their return was made possible through coordination between the DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the vessel’s shipowner, and the manning agency based in the Philippines.
The MT Aqua 1 was approximately 17 nautical miles north of the Ras Laffan Industrial Hub in Qatar on April 1, 2026, when it was hit by the missile, triggering a fire that the crew managed to extinguish. All 21 Filipino crew members aboard survived the incident without injury.
The ten who landed Thursday are among that group. It was not immediately clear from available information whether the remaining eleven had been repatriated separately or were still in the process of returning.
