Four Filipino crew members of the cruise ship Carnival Pride were detained and deported after the ship arrived at the Port of Baltimore, Maryland on September 7, 2025, Marino PH reported. The Philippines’ largest maritime community shared a first-hand testimony from one of the deported crew members, who worked as a galley steward.
According to his statement, U.S. authorities entered his cabin early in the morning and conducted a search, and ordered him to pack his belongings. Despite denying any wrongdoing, he was handcuffed, searched, and taken off the ship along with three other Filipino colleagues.
He claims the crew were interrogated for hours and pressured to confess to alleged involvement in child pornography, an accusation he insists he knew nothing about. “We were treated like criminals,” he said, describing how they were fingerprinted, photographed, and later transported under guard to the airport.
The crew members were reportedly held in detention cells at the airport before being escorted onto a flight bound for Manila, via Doha, Qatar. The seafarer, visibly shaken by the experience, expressed feelings of abandonment and fear, stating that Filipino seafarers often lack adequate protection when faced with accusations overseas.
“When we were transported to the airport we were still in handcuffs, like in the movies when criminals are being transferred.
At the airport we were searched again, then placed in another detention cell. They took off our handcuffs, made us walk barefoot, and ordered us to remove our jackets and socks even though it was freezing. We stayed there for about 45 minutes. Then we were called again, told to put everything back on, handcuffed once more, and — unbelievably — made to carry our backpacks while cuffed from behind. Imagine how difficult that was.
When we finally reached the gate, that’s when they returned our passports. Only once we boarded the plane I feelt like I could breathe a little easier.”
Marino PH said that this testimony highlights the vulnerability of Filipino seafarers working in international waters and ports. The organization stressed the urgent need for stronger government intervention and legal support when seafarers are accused or detained abroad, particularly in cases where due process and presumption of innocence may not be observed.
