Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Monday, Jan. 22, asked for the release of 18 Filipino seafarers currently aboard a detained vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
Manalo made the request when he met Iran’s 1st Vice President Mohammed Makber at the sidelines of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Uganda.
Makber is one of the 12 vice presidents of Iran, who leads the Islamic Republic’s Cabinet meetings.
“I likewise asked for the release of the 18 PH seafarers currently aboard the detained ST Nikolas, and requested that Iran continue to grant consular access to our Embassy in Tehran, and allow regular contact between the seafarers and their families back home,” Manalo said in a post on X.
The seafarers remain detained after their tanker containing Iraqi crude bound for Turkey was seized by Iran on Jan. 11.
During their talk, Manalo said he had with Makber a candid exchange not only of welfare of Filipino seafarers but also on geopolitical issues.
“We also noted the potential to grow PH-Iran trade relations,” he added.