MANILA: The Philippines confirmed on Wednesday that Iran has released all 18 Filipino crew members of an oil tanker that was seized in the Gulf of Oman back in January. The Iranian navy had boarded the Greek-owned St. Nikolas, which was carrying 19 crew, with the only Greek crew member being released the following week.
According to Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, Tehran began releasing the Filipino crew in batches at the end of January after securing replacements from Russia and other countries. De Vega clarified that while the Filipino crew were not considered hostages, they were not allowed to leave without replacements. The last of the Filipino crew reached Manila last week.
The Marshall Islands-flagged ship was transporting 145,000 tonnes of oil from Iraq to Turkey when it was seized, and it has since been anchored near the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Iran’s state media stated that the seizure was in response to the alleged “theft” of Iranian oil by the United States from the same tanker when it was named the Suez Rajan.
Tensions between Iran and the United States have led to tit-for-tat measures in the past, particularly regarding oil shipments. US sanctions, imposed after Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018, target Iranian oil and petrochemical sales in an effort to reduce Iran’s energy exports.
Meanwhile, the Philippines continues to seek the release of 17 Filipinos who were taken hostage by Yemen’s Houthis in November after their ship was seized in the Red Sea. Additionally, two Filipino crew members were killed and three injured in a Houthi missile attack on their ship in the Gulf of Aden on March 6.
The Huthis began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea last November, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza as their motive. De Vega expressed hope for peace in the Middle East following UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and urged for the release of Filipino seamen held by the Huthis.
