Around 3,000 Filipino seafarers remain aboard approximately 400 vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Department of Migrant Workers said Thursday.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government continues to monitor the seafarers around the clock through licensed manning agencies and shipowners.
Cacdac stressed that the Filipino crew members are not being held hostage and continue to perform their duties while receiving their salaries and benefits.
He added that the vessels remain seaworthy despite operating in the Persian Gulf.
According to the DMW, 3,718 Filipino seafarers have already exited the Strait of Hormuz.
Cacdac said two ships carrying 15 Filipino seafarers each managed to leave the waterway on July 6 and July 7 despite being attacked.
He said both vessels were able to safely exit the strait, but noted that passage through the strategic waterway has since been suspended again as tensions in the region continue.
