The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently handling the negotiations for the safe return of the Filipino seafarers from the seized oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, a Migrant Workers official said on Sunday.

In a radio interview, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said the Philippine government is actively working towards promptly repatriating the 18 Filipino crew members involved in the incident.

The oil tanker, initially named Suez Rajan and later seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman, was en route from the Iraqi port of Basra to Turkey.

Notably, the vessel had previously garnered attention in 2023 when the United States confiscated over 980,000 barrels of Iranian crude oil in a sanction enforcement operation.

“DFA is already negotiating the safe returns (of the 18 Filipino seafarers). According to the DFA, there are already discussions in this regard with Iranian authorities,” Cacdac said.

“We are aware that they are safe for now. We are praying together with the families of those on St. Nikolas that they will be able to come home as soon as possible,” Cacdac added.

In addition to the DFA’s efforts, Cacdac said the DMW is collaborating with the licensed manning agency of St. Nikolas (the seized oil tanker) and the families of the crew members.

Empire Navigation, the company managing the seized tanker, has also reported ongoing communication with authorities and the crew’s families.

Last Saturday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the Filipino seafarers are in “full health.”

De Vega added that the Iranian Ambassador to the Philippines, Yousef Esmaeilzadeh, vowed to help the Philippine government in the safe and immediate release of the crew members.