18 Filipino seafarers released

IRAN has released all 18 Filipino seafarers held aboard the MV St. Nikolas that was seized in the Gulf of Oman in January after the manning agency that hired them was able to deploy their replacements, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The DFA on Wednesday said the Filipino seafarers were repatriated in batches, including the final group of six who arrived in Manila last week.

Department of Foreign Affairs 

The last batch arrived in the Philippines last March 20. “The manning agency only told our embassy in Tehran now due to Iranian holiday last week,” the DFA said on Wednesday.

The DFA said Iran released the 18 Filipinos after the manning agency “got replacements from other countries.”

“The Philippine government thanked the authorities of Iran for their understanding in this matter and appreciates the work of the manning agency, which made this possible,” the DFA said.

The DFA in February said the Iranian government would release the Filipino crew members being held aboard the seized oil tanker once their replacements arrive to man the ship.

Filipino seafarers comprise 25 percent of those employed in the global maritime industry, with almost half a million serving on cargo and cruise ships.

Iran seized the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel off the Gulf of Oman in the middle of January 2024 while it was in transit between the Iraqi port of Basra and Turkey.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, meanwhile, said the Philippines is working to secure the release of 17 other Filipinos being held aboard Galaxy Leader by suspected Houthi rebels.

He said the Philippines continues to work with its “friends and partners” to bring the 17 Filipino seafarers home.

“We assure their families that all is being done so that the seafarers will finally be able to return home,” Manalo wrote on X on Wednesday.

In December 2023, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and their allies pressed for the release of 25 seafarers, including 17 Filipinos, being held by Houthi rebels since November 19.

Reports from Associated Press cited Yemen’s Houthi rebels as saying that they hijacked the vessel over its connection to Israel and that “all ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets.

The hijacking took place in the Red Sea and the adjoining Gulf of Aden — a crucial shipping route connecting Europe with the Middle East and Asia.