The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced over the weekend that three Filipino seafarers from the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, seized by Iranian authorities in April, have been freed and safely returned home.
The trio was part of a four-member Filipino crew on board the vessel. One crew member was released earlier in May due to health issues. DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac confirmed that the remaining three Filipinos were “quietly returned home” last Thursday.
The MSC Aries, with a crew of 25, was captured by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on April 13. Although Iran claimed in May that the crew had been released, the vessel remains under Iranian control. Iran agreed to replace the seafarers at the end of their contracts to maintain the vessel’s key functions.
Iran’s foreign ministry stated that the Aries was seized for “violating maritime laws” and claimed it was linked to Israel.
The MSC Aries is leased by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
The seizure occurred amid escalating tensions in the region, with Iranian-backed Houthis launching drone and missile attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war.
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