By Junex Doronio
MANILA — In accordance with the marching order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has assured full government support and assistance for the four Filipino seafarers who were among the crew of container ship MSC Aries, which Iranian forces seized near the Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday (13 April 2024), Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reportedly seized a container ship, with four Filipino seafarers among the crew on board MSC Aries, in apparent retaliation to an Israeli attack on Iran consulate in Syria.
“Upon directive of the President, we are in touch with the families of our dear seafarers and have assured them of full government support and assistance,” the DMW said in a statement.
It added that it is now coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as well as the seafarers’ manning agency and MSC Aries’ ship manager and operator “to ensure the safety and well-being, as well as the release, of our dear seafarers.”
To recall, some Filipino crew members of an oil tanker that Iran seized in January in response to the US seizure of crude from Iran on the same vessel in 2023 were sent back to the Philippines in March.
(el Amigo/MNM)
