Shipping Industry lend hand for Haiyan victims in the Philippines

Manila, Philippines – Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most damaging storms to ever hit the country, left more than 2,000 people dead and the numbers are still expected to rise.

Typhoon Haiyan entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility with strength of 280 mph, enough to uproot trees and flatten municipalities near shorelines into rubble.
 
Now, Maritime and Seafarer groups are gathering resources to assist the millions of people affected by the powerful typhoon.  The Associated Maritime Officers’ and Seaman’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) is employing one of its ships to haul relief goods into the country.
 
The Philippine Seafarers Union on the other hand is undertaking an operation to collect emergency supplies and transporting it to the hardest hit areas Samar and Leyte.
 
“Outside the country itself, one of the affected groups is Filipino seafarers, who like many of their countrymen, work abroad. For all of them, communication with home is vital. We call on all shipping companies to assist with this burning need and to identify those who have been directly affected by this tragedy,” says International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) President Paddy Crumlin.
 
Crumlin also appealed to ship owners worldwide on the plight of Filipino seafarers whose families may have been affected by the disastrous storm.
 
“We ask them to help those who have lost family members with the provision of emergency compassionate leave, a guarantee that their jobs will not be put at risk if they need to return to their families, and to provide help with repatriation. Filipinos work worldwide, in many sectors, and we hope that in all of them they will receive the support and understanding they need, from employers, embassies and governments,” urged Crumlin.