18 Pinoy seafarers in Manila after refusing Hormuz passage

MANILA, Philippines — Eighteen Filipino seafarers arrived in the country on Thursday and Friday on separate commercial flights after staying in the Persian Gulf on board Liberian-flagged vessel MSC Ishyka.

The seafarers exercised their right to refuse sailing when their vessel was set to sail to India which required passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

“This is in accordance with Department of Migrant Workers Advisory No. 09 issued on March 1, 2026, reiterating imposition of the seafarer’s right to refuse sailing in high-risk areas in the Gulf region,” the DMW said.

Migrant Workers Assistant Secretary Venecio Legaspi and Al Khobar Migrant Workers Office Labor Attaché Solaiman Mutia met and assisted the seafarers at the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The repatriation of the crew was facilitated by their manning agency, the DMW said.

Upon arrival in the Philippines, the seafarers received financial and transport assistance from the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac reported that around 1,300 Filipino seafarers have now safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz, while there are 14 others who are attempting to pass through it.

“So far it stands at 1,300 those that were able to cross over the Strait of Hormuz. But there are still 14 that we await to traverse (the waterway). Hopefully, they will be able to cross,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway off Iran’s coast that Tehran effectively blocked in response to US-Israeli strikes, remains closed.

Over 8,000 Filipinos from the crisis-torn Middle East have already been repatriated, Cacdac said in an interview Saturday.

“While we continue assisting the repatriates, we are also intensifying the whole of government approach in helping out our kababayans who are now back home,” said Cacdac.

According to OWWA, around 2,000 Filipinos mostly in Kuwait have expressed intent to be brought back home.