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18 Filipino seafarers back in PH after being detained in Iran

Philippines | National

18 Filipino seafarers back in PH after being detained in Iran

By Joseph Pedrajas

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has announced Easter good news following the safe return to Manila of 18 Filipino seafarers initially held in Iran.

All Filipino crew of MV St. Nikolas, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker that was seized by the Iranian navy in the Gulf of Oman, were already back to the Philippines after being in captivity since January.

“They were repatriated in batches, including the final group of six seafarers who arrived in Manila last week,” the DFA said Wednesday, March 27.

It said the government is thanking the Iranian authorities for their understanding in this matter as it also appreciates the work of the manning agency that made their return possible.

Iranian state media reported that St. Nikolas tanker, which was carrying Iraqi crude and was bound for Turkey, was seized by Iran’s Navy in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the United States.

The seizure was in accordance with a court order, state-run IRNA news agency added.

DFA, meanwhile, said it is also working with the return of 17 other Filipino seafarers held hostage in the Red Sea in November 2023 by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

Related Tags

seamen Gulf of Oman

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