Iranian authorities have released a Filipino crew member of a ship it had seized in the Strait of Hormuz, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced Friday.

In a statement, DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac thanked Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo “who spared no effort to secure the release of our brave seafarer.”

“The DMW will continue working with the DFA, the ship agent and licensed manning agency to secure the release of the three other Filipino crewmen who remain in the custody of Iranian authorities,” Cacdac said.

He said the DMW and its attached agency, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), is in touch with the families of the seafarers, assuring them of the government’s full support and assistance.

He added that the DMW, OWWA, and DFA, in coordination with the ship agent and licensed manning agency, were working to bring the freed crew member home to be reunited with his family.

Iranian naval authorities boarded the MSC Aries on 13 April as it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz, near the Gulf of Oman. Its crew was composed of 25 seafarers, including the four Filipinos.