12 Filipino seafarers in strike off Iraq waters safe — DMW

12 Filipino seafarers in strike off Iraq waters safe — DMW
Keith Clores -March 17, 2026 https://globalnation.inquirer.net/314414/12-filipino-seafarers-in-strike...

MANILA, Philippines — All 12 Filipino seafarers aboard a ship that was attacked in the waters of Iraq are safe, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported on Tuesday.

During a press briefing, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac detailed that there were 12 Filipino seamen in a single vessel traveling near the coast of Iraq, which was struck around three days ago.

“Three days ago, may inatake off a port in Iraq… Ulat ko dito, salamat sa Diyos, ligtas yung labindalawang tripulanteng Pilipino doon naman sa attack off the waters of Iraq,” he shared.

A fuel tanker in Iraqi waters was attacked by two Iran boats on March 13, a report by Reuters said.

After the encounter, one of the 28 crew members died.

Cacdac also said that over 7,300 seafarers in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman have been marked safe so far.

Previously, two ships carrying 38 Filipino crew members were also attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, but all survived.

In an even earlier incident in the same body of water, a tugboat containing Filipino crew members was also struck, and one Filipino remains missing as of writing. /das