The Department of Migrant Workers on Sunday expressed hopes for the immediate repatriation of the 18 Filipino crew of the oil tanker that was seized in the Gulf of Oman.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is taking care of the negotiations for the safe return of the crew back in the Philippines.
“The DFA will handle the negotiations regarding their safe repatriation. The DFA said they have coordinated with Iranian authorities,” Cacdac said, in an interview with radio DZBB.
“What we know is that they’re safe now. We’re praying with the family of those in St. Nikolas that they will be able to go home soon,” the DMW chief added.
The DMW earlier said that 18 Filipino crew of the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker St. Nikolas, which Iran seized in the Gulf of Oman, were safe and were now in Iran.
Besides the DFA, the DMW is also coordinating with the licensed manning agency of St. Nikolas and the families of the crewmembers, Cacdac said.
Empire Navigation, the company that manages the seized oil tanker, had said it was also in contact with authorities and the crew’s families.