Veteran Filipino captain recalls dangers of Strait of Hormuz as seafarers remain stranded

A veteran Filipino maritime expert warned about the dangers in the Strait of Hormuz as hundreds of Filipino seafarers remain stranded in the area due to tensions in the Middle East. 

Maritime training consultant and former ship captain Edgardo V. Flores showed where he and his crew were trapped during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, especially in parts of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

“Ito yung Strait of Hormuz, so very narrow yan… Marami rin ditong barko sa northern part yan yung mga installations.”

More than forty years later, Flores said the memories of what he witnessed in the Strait of Hormuz during a conflict involving Iran remain vivid.

Recalling the hazards at sea during that time, Flores said commercial vessels were attacked, and many lives were lost.

“They are directly bombing the ships without any respect for human lives, so as I said, maraming namatay na Pilipino doon. Maraming barko ang lumubog at saka ang ginawa nila doon para walang makapasok doon sa loob ng Gulf, naglagay sila ng seamine.”

Because of his firsthand experience, Flores stated he fears a similar incident could occur again, though with more advanced weapons.

“Palubigin ngayon katulad ng ginawa nila noon, by drone ha, now it’s by drone, pati mga boat ngayon by drone na. So yun ang nakakatakot.”

Flores also raised concern over the welfare of seafarers if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, especially their access to food and clean drinking water.

“Pangalawa is that they may run out of supplies, so what will happen to them? Who will provide them?” says Flores.

According to the Joint Manning Group (JMG), an association of manning agencies in the Philippines, around 1,000 Filipino seafarers are currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf aboard nearly 200 ships.

This means the vessels cannot sail out of the area.

JMG said it could not disclose the exact locations of the ships for security and privacy reasons, but assured that shipping companies and Philippine manning agencies are closely coordinating with shipowners.

“We cannot say where they are now, of course, there are some private issues that we need to protect with, but the most important is each company, together with the corresponding counterpart ng mga manning agency sa Piipinas, are in close contact sa mga ship owners.”

In its latest coordination with shipowners, JMG said the stranded Filipino seafarers remain protected.

“They’re well protected, they’re safe. Wala naman kaming natatanggap na hindi kanais-nais na pangyayari dahil responsibilidad din ng ship owners to protect the interests of the seafarers. Napakahanga ang proteksyon ng seafarers.”

Manning agencies, together with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), stated they are ready to do everything possible to evacuate Filipino seafarers currently in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf if needed.

However, it is still unclear how they can be extracted from the area should an evacuation be necessary.

“Hindi natin masabi kung makalusot na it’s either that they can be repatriated as soon as possible.”

The crisis has also impacted other Filipino seafarers who were scheduled to join ships in the region but couldn't proceed due to unrest in the Middle East.

One of them is David Datay, whose flight was forced to return to the airport in Qatar after airstrikes were reported.

While his manning agency is covering their hotel stay and meals, Datay said what they want most now is to return home.

“Ang gusto lang po namin ay makauwi! Yung mga unang araw po, okay pa naman po, kaya lang, nakikita na po namin yung missile sa taas. Nagkakaroon na po kami ng takot na gusto na po naming bumalik sa Pilipinas.”

The DMW had earlier said that once airports resume operations and airspace reopens, stranded Filipinos will be brought home safely.—LDF, GMA Integrated News