Quezon city: The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has recommended a temporary halt in the deployment of Filipino seafarers to the Northern Black Sea after government agencies categorized it as a "full-scale international armed conflict" area. Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac stated that the DMW has directed ship manning agencies not to proceed with ships carrying Filipino seafarers to the area.

According to Philippines News Agency, security assessments from both the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of National Defense (DND) have confirmed the presence of a full-scale international armed conflict in the region. Cacdac emphasized the high level of danger, stating, "Mataas po ang antas ng panganib, kaya't kailangan pong wala po munang Filipino seafarers in that area (The level of danger is high, so there should be no Filipino seafarers in that area for the meantime)."

Cacdac further mentioned that the DMW has issued an advisory to ship owners and manning agencies to ensure the safety of all Filipinos already in the Black Sea. This includes at least 180 seafarers aboard 12 ships still in the area. He instructed ship owners to relocate these Filipino seafarers to safer locations or ports.

Additionally, the DMW has instructed agencies to facilitate the repatriation of sailors manning the 17 ships that have been attacked in the Northern Black Sea. As of now, at least 89 Filipino seafarers have been repatriated since the conflict escalated in July.

The escalation in the Black Sea region follows intensified attacks by Moscow on commercial ships, which occurred after Kyiv's strikes on Russian oil targets in the Azov and Black Seas. Ukraine has alleged that these targets were illegally used for transporting Russian crude.