A number of Filipinos who boarded the ship that evacuated them from Libya to Malta have complained of ill treatment, arguing that most of them slept on the floor and the cabins for children, elderly and pregnant women were in a bad state. Following the complaints, the department of foreign affairs in the Philippines has launched an inquiry.
The evacuation was ordered by the Philippine government for trapped workers in Libya and the ship, MV Bridge, arrived in Malta on 15 August at around 11.10am, carrying 800 nationals from the Philippines. The evacuees were ferried from the Libyan ports of Benghazi and Misrata to Malta and then flown back to the Philippines through Malta International Airport. Filipinos were asked to remain on board the vessel until 8.30pm, at which time they disembarked and made their way to MIA.
Five Maltese citizens were also on board, following arrangements made by the Maltese foreign ministry with the government of the Philippines. It is understood that most evacuees on board were oil or hospital workers.
The complaints initially came to light in reports broadcast on television network TV5. Following the report, the foreign affairs department in Libya issued a statement confirming the reports and announced that an investigation would be launched. In addition, Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said that those held accountable will be reprimanded.
In the report broadcasted by TG5, Filipinos on board complained of ill treatment by the ship’s crew. Those picked up from the port of Benghazi expressed the most disappointment. One nurse, who lived in Benghazi, said that the cabins were unbearably hot and there were bed bugs in the beds. She added that there was only one bathroom for over 200 people.
Furthermore, some of those on board said that the cabin crew declined their request for blankets and there was inadequate supply of food and water to serve all on board. Furthermore, Filipino workers claimed that they suffered discriminatory treatment compared to foreign passengers on board and the ship was overcrowded.
The ship was commissioned by the Philippine government for $1.8million. During the month of August, the Philippine government ordered the evacuation of 13,000 workers in Libya.
A representative for the Philippines foreign affairs department said that the investigation is directed at adopting more appropriate policies on repatriation programmes.
The ship used, MV Bridge, belongs to the company European Seaways, which forms part of European Sealines group of companies, which was founded in Athens in 1990.
During the month of August, a number of evacuation procedures took place following on-going conflicts in Libya. A number of nationals from Britain, India and the Philippines were evacuated from Libya to Malta.