LAST week, a Filipino seafarer was killed after a merchant ship, the MV Tutor, was hit and sunk by an armed drone launched by Houthi rebels while sailing in the Red Sea. Twenty-one other Filipino crewmen of the ship were rescued and repatriated.

It is not the first time Filipino crews have come under attack in the Red Sea. Earlier this year, a Houthi strike on the bulk carrier MV True Confidence left two Filipino seafarers dead and three others wounded.

The Philippines is also coordinating with other governments for the release of 17 Filipinos aboard the cargo ship Galaxy Leader who are being held captive by the rebels.

The Houthis began to target ships in the strategic waterway in mid-November last year in a show of solidarity with Hamas, the Palestinian organization that is at war with Israel.

They have since launched more than 70 strikes in the Red Sea, sinking two ships, seizing another and killing at least three seafarers.

The attacks have disrupted global supply chains, as ships avoid sailing through the Red Sea, which is a key shipping route between Europe, Asia and the Middle East, choosing instead a long detour around Africa.

Consequently, container traffic through the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, has shrunk by about 80 percent.

Shipping rates have risen sharply. According to the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index, the rates had been trending up for eight straight weeks and gone up by more 50 percent in the past month alone.

It could get worse. United Nations Trade and Development (Unctad) says prolonged interruptions in container shipping could further drive up energy and food prices worldwide.

One analyst predicts that the disruption from the Red Sea crisis could slow down efforts in Europe to recover from a recession: "Many businesses are already struggling with reduced margins. The number of bankruptcies will certainly higher than expected."

Trouble is brewing in the global seafaring industry as well. Some merchant mariners are now reluctant to sign up on ships that pass through the Red Sea. That impacts heavily on the Philippines, which has been one of the world's biggest sources of seafarers.

Last month, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) banned the deployment of Filipinos on passenger and cruise ships sailing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which have been declared "War-like Zones," or WLZs, by the International Transport Workers' Federation, the leading seafarers' union.

The department said the ban "intends to keep Filipino seafarers out of harm's way." The ban does not cover Filipino crews of merchant ships.

DMW Officer in Charge Hans Cacdac assured Filipino mariners who were exercising their right to refuse sailing in dangerous waters they would not be discriminated against and would be assigned to other vessels passing through safer routes.

He said sanctions would be imposed on shipping companies and agencies not observing the prohibition and the seafarers' right to refuse sailing.

The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) has condemned the Red Sea attacks as "illegal and unjustifiable," and threaten the freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical waterways.

Dialogue and diplomacy

The IMO encouraged peaceful dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the "entire world depends on international shipping. Seafarers, ships and cargoes should not be subject of attacks."

Dominguez rallied "all governments and relevant organizations to provide maximum assistance to seafarers affected and to spare no effort in finding a resolution to this crisis."

Unctad said the volatility in the Red Sea required "collective efforts for sustainable solutions, especially in support of countries more vulnerable to these shocks."

The resolution of the Red Sea crisis, however, hinges mainly on the outcome of the bigger conflict in Gaza. The Houthis are likely to continue their attacks until Hamas and Israel agree to a ceasefire which opens the door to a prisoner-hostage exchange and the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Such an agreement does not loom in the horizon right now.

For the meantime, the Philippines must ensure that its seafarers receive the security and protection they are guaranteed under international maritime regulations.

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