St Nikolas ship X1 oil tanker involved in U.S.-Iran dispute in the Gulf of Oman which state media says was seized is seen in the Tokyo bay, Japan, October 4, 2020, in this handout picture. (REUTERS file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — All Filipino crew members of the MV St. Nikolas have safely returned to Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Wednesday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged MV St. Nikolas was the oil tanker seized by Iran’s navy in the Gulf of Oman on January 11.
In a statement, DFA said the 18 Filipino seafarers were repatriated in batches — “including the final group of 6 seafarers who arrived in Manila last week.”
READ: DFA: 10 of 18 Filipinos from seized oil tanker in Middle East back in PH
“The Philippine Government thanks the authorities of Iran for their understanding in this matter and appreciates the work of the manning agency which made this possible,” said DFA.
“We continue to work on the safe return to the Philippines of 17 other Filipino seafarers who are still aboard their vessel in the area,” it added.
In November 2023, DFA confirmed that another set of Filipino seafarers — this time 17 – were among the crewmen being held hostage by the Yemen rebel group Houthi, which seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.