10 Pinoy seafarers aboard vessel held by Iran in Hormuz back in PH

Ten Filipino seafarers aboard a vessel that had been held by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz have safely returned to the Philippines after the last three arrived on Monday, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

The DMW said the remaining three Filipino seafarers arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 aboard a Qatar Airways flight.

They were welcomed by their families, representatives from the DMW, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Manila International Airport Authority, and officials from their licensed manning agency.

According to the DMW, the seafarers received financial and medical assistance from the agency and OWWA upon arrival, while their manning agency provided temporary hotel accommodation.

The seafarers will also undergo further medical and psychosocial assessments to support their recovery, well-being, and reintegration.

They were the last Filipino crew members to receive clearance from Iranian military authorities to leave the vessel. Replacement crew members from Russia, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine have temporarily taken over operations aboard the ship.

Seven other Filipino seafarers were repatriated in three separate batches on June 21, 22, and 25.

The 10 Filipino crew members had been aboard the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas, which figured in what the DMW referred to as a "security incident" while attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz on April 22 amid the conflict in the Middle East.

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) earlier reported that 81 Filipino seafarers aboard four Philippine-flagged vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, but assured that they are safe and have adequate supplies of food and drinking water.

MARINA Administrator Sonia Malaluan also said Filipino seafarers aboard foreign-flagged vessels remain stranded in the Black Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz.

Of the 20,000 seafarers stranded in these areas, about 20% are Filipinos, Malaluan said.

Following a ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States, efforts are underway to allow hundreds of stranded vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz.— MCG, GMA News