Filipino crews navigate volatile Persian Gulf

Eighty-one Filipino seafarers aboard four Philippine-flagged ships safely transited the conflict-stricken Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf amid the ongoing war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced.

The majority of the seafarers have resumed their regular duties, while others have returned home to the Philippines.

The mariners were aboard the MV Lyng Trader, MV Western Doncaster, MV Vivian Trader, and MV Eva Fuji, which crossed the strategic waterway between 24 June and 1 July.

The DFA attributed their safe transit to joint efforts by the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization to safeguard civilian shipping, establishing a framework that has evacuated 136 ships and nearly 3,000 seafarers from the zone.

"Evacuation operations were suspended following the end of the temporary ceasefire between Iran and the United States, leaving some Filipino seafarers still stranded in the region," the DFA statement said.