Two Filipino seafarers are dead and 14 of their crewmates are safe after the Saudi-flagged oil tanker they were working on was struck by projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz, the Department of Migrant Workers confirmed.
What happened to the tanker
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said 16 Filipino seafarers were aboard the tanker Sidr when it was attacked late on Aug 31 while it appeared to be crossing the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. A fire broke out on the vessel, which the crew managed to contain, but two of the Filipino crew did not survive.
The tanker is operated by Bahri, Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company. Maritime security firm Marisks said the Sidr was hit by “unknown projectiles” on the night of Aug 31. A South Korean-owned supertanker, the Senegal Prosperity, was also reported struck in the same area around the same time.
What the DMW is doing
The two victims’ bodies have been brought to Oman, Cacdac said, while the 14 survivors are safe and arrangements are under way for their repatriation. The agency is coordinating with the vessel’s employer and ship manager on assistance for the survivors and the families of those killed.
Cacdac said he will personally visit the families of the two fatalities beginning Thursday, together with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. The DMW remains on red alert as the Strait of Hormuz continues to be treated as a high-risk area.
Who is being blamed
Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran for the attack, saying the vessel was targeted while transiting the strait. Iran has not responded to the allegation; its Revolutionary Guards said two tankers caught fire after striking mines on an “unauthorised route”. The incident comes amid renewed exchanges between the US and Iran this week.
Why it matters to Filipino seafarers
The strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments usually pass, has been effectively disrupted since the start of the US and Israel’s war with Iran in February, according to the BBC. Cacdac said 31 vessels carrying Filipino seafarers have been attacked in the area since Feb 28, with 421 Filipinos aboard, 268 of whom have already returned home. Around 3,000 Filipino seafarers remain estimated in the Persian Gulf.
The DMW continues to require shipowners to conduct risk assessments before sailing and to recognize a Filipino seafarer’s right to refuse sailing when a vessel is bound for a high-risk area. For context on how the wider crisis is affecting the Philippines, see our earlier report on what the Strait of Hormuz situation means for Filipinos and the latest on how the oil trade has been rerouting around the waterway.
