Filipino Seaman Missing Amid Growing Middle East Conflict, Says Philippine Official

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) [Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid US-Israel-Iran war for the latest regional developments.]

A Filipino seaman aboard a ship that crossed the Strait of Hormuz is confirmed missing, a Philippine minister confirmed on Monday.

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Hans Leo Cacdac, Secretary of the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), said the DMW has monitored around 6,300 Filipino seafarers on board the ships "navigating the designated high-risk areas in the Middle East."

"We are closely monitoring Filipino seafarers, including a missing crew member, amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East. We are aware of the situation. We are aware of what happened," said Cacdac

He added DMW-OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) teams have already visited the family of the missing Filipino seaman. "He is missing at the moment, and we are hoping that the search and rescue will yield positive results," Cacdac continued.

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Cacdac did not identify the ship, but last week, the Omani Navy reportedly evacuated 24 crew members from a Malta-flagged cargo ship that came under bombardment near the Strait of Hormuz on March 4.

“At this stage, we have already reached out to show our support to the family of the missing Filipinos," said Cacdac, adding: "We are also working closely with the authority that is conducting the search and rescue, which is essentially the Omani Navy, because that's the area where the attack happened.

He added the DMW is monitoring at least three ships anchored in the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

DMW is also "gathering information and confirming exact figures from the Filipino crew members through group chats, and in close coordination with respective manning agencies and ship owners."

Over the weekend, the Philippine government advised Filipino seafarers that they have the right to refuse to sail in“war-risk zones” amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war. This means seafarers may demand that ship officials and shipping companies disembark them if their boats are scheduled to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Arabian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman.

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