MANILA - The last three Filipino crew members of MV Epaminondas returned to Manila on July 6, completing the repatriation of 10 Filipino seafarers from the Iran-seized vessel, the Philippine News Agency reported.
The Department of Migrant Workers said the three arrived aboard Qatar Airways at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The seven other Filipino crew members had returned in June, and the final three were the last to receive clearance from Iranian military authorities, according to SunStar Philippines.
MV Epaminondas was involved in a security incident on April 22 while attempting to exit the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. The Liberian-flagged container ship was earlier reported to have been fired upon and escorted into Iranian waters, with no crew injuries reported, according to Maritime Optima.
“The remaining three Filipino crew members of MV Epaminondas are finally home,” the DMW said in the statement cited by SunStar. The returning seafarers were welcomed by their families, DMW, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Manila International Airport Authority and officials of their licensed manning agency.
The DMW said the Filipino seafarers received financial and medical assistance after arrival. Their agency provided temporary hotel accommodation, and the workers were set for further medical and psychosocial assessments to support their recovery after the incident.
The April incident also involved MSC Francesca. Seatrade Maritime News reported on April 24 that 15 Filipino seafarers were aboard the two vessels, including 10 on MV Epaminondas and five on MSC Francesca. DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said at the time that the Filipino crew members were safe and unharmed.
The Strait of Hormuz gives the case wider maritime weight. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said flows through the strait in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 accounted for more than one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade and about one-fifth of global oil and petroleum product consumption. Around one-fifth of global LNG trade also passed through the strait in 2024, mainly from Qatar.
The seafarers’ return came just before another Philippine repatriation update. OWWA said 51 OFWs returned on July 7 from Lebanon, Thailand and Jeddah under DMW and OWWA repatriation efforts, including five OFWs from Lebanon, 11 human trafficking victims from Thailand and 35 OFWs from Jeddah.
