Philippines Says Iran Frees 18 Filipino Crew Of Seized Oil Tanker
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
© Agence France-Presse
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com.
https://www.barrons.com/news/philippines-says-iran-frees-18-filipino-crew-of-seized-oil-tanker-d8722e9a
The Philippines said Wednesday that Iran has freed all 18 Filipino crew members of an oil tanker that was seized in the Gulf of Oman in January.
Iran's navy had boarded the Greek-owned St. Nikolas, which was carrying 19 crew, off the coast of Oman. The only Greek crew member was released the following week.
Tehran began freeing the Filipino crew in batches at the end of January after a replacement crew was hired from Russia and other countries, Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told AFP.
"They were not hostages... but they were not allowed to leave without replacements," de Vega said of the Filipino crew.
The last of the Filipino crew returned to Manila last week, he added.
The Marshall Islands-flagged ship was carrying 145,000 tonnes of oil from Iraq and heading to Turkey when it was seized. It has been anchored in the vicinity of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
Iran's state media has said the seizure was in retaliation to the "theft" Iranian oil by the United States from the same tanker, at the time named the Suez Rajan.
Tehran has responded with tit-for-tat measures in the past after seizures of Iranian oil shipments.
Crippling US sanctions, reimposed following Washington's 2018 withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal, target Iranian oil and petrochemical sales in a bid to reduce Iran's energy exports.
Manila is still seeking the release of 17 Filipinos taken hostage by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthis in November after the rebels seized their ship in the Red Sea.
In a separate incident, two Filipino crew members were killed and three others injured in a Huthi 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, a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
De Vega said Manila was "encouraged by the developments such as the UN resolution calling on a ceasefire in Gaza".
"Hopefully there will be peace in the Middle East and the Huthis will release them (Filipino seamen)," he said.
cgm/amj/dhw
The Philippines said Wednesday that Iran has freed all 18 Filipino crew members of an oil tanker that was seized in the Gulf of Oman in January.
An error has occurred, please try again later.
Thank you
This article has been sent to
Copyright ©2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.