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Manila Bulletin devider devider PH gov't asks Iran to free Filipino on seized British-flagged tanker

PH gov't asks Iran to free Filipino on seized British-flagged tanker

Published Jul 20, 2019 04:15 pm
By Agence France-Presse The Philippines said Saturday it would ask Iran to free a Filipino crew member of a British-flagged tanker seized by Tehran's Revolutionary Guards. This handout photo made available on July 20, 2019, by Jan Verhoog shows the Stena Impero, a British-flagged tanker, off the coast of Europoort in Rotterdam on April 3, 2018. - The British-flagged tanker Stena Impero seized by Iran is now at anchor off the port of Bandar Abbas with all its crew aboard after colliding with a fishing boat, authorities said on July 20, 2019. The Swedish-owned Stena Impero This handout photo made available on July 20, 2019, by Jan Verhoog shows the Stena Impero, a British-flagged tanker, off the coast of Europoort in Rotterdam on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Jan VERHOOG / various sources / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN) The Swedish-owned Stena Impero was seized in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday for colliding with a fishing boat, Iranian authorities said, as tensions mount in a key waterway for the world's oil supplies. The Philippine foreign department said one of the ship's crew is a Filipino citizen, and that the others were 18 Indians, three Russians and a Latvian. The agency that supplied the Filipino crew member told Manila there were no reported injuries as the vessel headed for the Iranian coast on Friday, the department said in a statement. "(Philippine) Ambassador to Iran Fred Santos is contacting Iranian authorities to seek assurance that the Filipino seafarer is safe and will be released soon," it said, adding the unidentified crew member's family has been notified. The Philippine-based manning agency has informed the Filipino seafarer’s next of kin, and is providing the necessary assistance, while its foreign counterpart is coordinating with British authorities on the whereabouts of the ship and the condition of the seafarers on board. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said that the primary concern is the crew, Filipino and other nationalities. “Lives matter the most; no harm will come to them of course; this is Iran; but the anxiety hurts families. First to be let go should be the crew. Already in touch,” he said on Twitter. Iranian authorities said the tanker has anchored off the port of Bandar Abbas with all its 23 crew aboard. READ MORE: Seized British-flagged tanker anchored off Iran: port authority Britain said a second ship had also been seized in the Persian Gulf -- the Liberian-flagged Mesdar. The Mesdar's British owner said its ship had been temporarily boarded by armed personnel, but was free to leave and that all crew were "safe and well". Tensions in the Gulf have soared in recent weeks, with US President Donald Trump in June calling off air strikes against Iran at the last minute after Tehran downed a US drone, and blaming Iran for a series of tanker attacks. Washington has been ratcheting up sanctions against Tehran after the US unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 deal under which Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear development activities in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. (with a report from Dhel Nazario)  
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