PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. affirmed that the safety of Filipino seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz will be the priority of the Philippine government.
During the Commencement Exercises of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) Salighirang Class of 2026 last Friday, Marcos said that the government’s duty does not end with ensuring the global employability of Filipino seafarers by upholding the highest international standards in maritime education, training, and certification system.
“Many of our seafarers continue to travel through uncertain waters, including the areas affected by conflict, especially now in the Middle East. In this difficult situation, your safety and welfare remain our priority. Your government will always be within reach, ready to help,” Marcos said in his speech.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced last Saturday that four Philippine-registered vessels with 81 Filipino seafarers onboard safely exited the Strait of Hormuz.
MV Lyng Trader, MV Western Doncaster, MV Vivian Trader, and MV Eva Fuji departed the Strait between June 24 and July 1.
According to DFA, most of the 81 Filipino seafarers have resumed their regular seafaring duties, while others have taken the opportunity to return home to their families.
The DFA earlier petitioned Iran for the safe passage of Philippine-flagged vessels.
Last June, 136 ships and about 2,900 seafarers have been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz when the United Nations began its safe-passage program for ships using two routes — one via Iranian waters and another via Omani waters with US oversight.
The Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping lane for global oil and gas supplies, has been largely blocked by Iran since Feb. 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched an air war against Iran.
This month, the memorandum of understanding to end the war and reopen the Strait threatened to collapse as the United States began a new round of strikes on Iran.
Last Monday, another cargo ship caught fire in the Strait near Oman’s coastline following reported exchange of attacks between US and Iran. No further reports on the nationality of crew were issued as of this writing.
Empty promises?
With Marcos’ assurance for the prioritization of Filipino seafarers’ safety and welfare, however, the dual crises of seafarer abandonment and unjust criminalization appear to have worsened under the shadow of intensifying global conflicts.
Recent studies reflect this staggering trend — thousands of seafarers are currently detained or abandoned in foreign ports worldwide, caught in legal crossfires they did not create. As this issue gains international recognition, the ordeal of the Filipino seafarers in Algeria has emerged as a tragic example of how the system fails the people who power 90 percent of global trade.
The unjust criminalization of the MV Harris crew serves as a stark, harrowing example of the failed promise the government has repeatedly committed.
For nearly three years, three Filipino seafarers — the chief officer, the bosun, and an ordinary seaman — have been languishing in an Algerian prison. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison after local authorities discovered 35.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden onboard their commercial vessel in July 2023.
Despite an absolute lack of incriminating evidence, a rare backing of the shipowners for the freedom of their crew, and yet another strong appeal of their wives for Marcos to send diplomatic intervention in Algeria, the seafarers, as of to date, remain behind bars.
