On April 13, IRNA News Agency reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Special Naval Force had seized the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries ship (15,8097 DWT) because of its reported links to Israel. Iranian commandos flew a helicopter to the ship and staged a takeover of the vessel as it was transitioning from a port in the United Arab Emirates and heading to India. The container ship was seized as it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz, near the Gulf of Oman.
According to IRNA News, the incident was connected to the rising tensions between Iran and Israel over the latter’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. Several Iranian military advisors including two IRGC senior commanders were killed during the attack.
The Philippine government will exert all efforts to ensure the safety and recovery of the four Filipino seafarers aboard the seized ship. The Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) Hans Leo Cacdac, officer in charge (OIC), said it has already contacted the four seafarers’ family and assured them of the government’s full support and assistance. The DMW said it also coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the licensed manning agency (LMA) of MSC Aries, as well as the ship’s manager and operator to monitor all developments concerning the four seafarers and their safety.
MSC said they are working non-stop with relevant international and local bodies to hasten the return of MSC Aries’ 25 crewmembers, among them the four Filipinos and 17 Indian nationals. MSC Aries is owned by Gortal Shipping, which is affiliated with Zodiac Maritime Shipping. According to Iranian media, Zodiac is partly-owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has already condemned the seizure and called for the immediate release of the seafarers and the ship. The secretary general of ICS, Guy Platten, said Iran’s seizure of the MSC Aries “is a flagrant breach of international law and an assault on freedom of navigation. This reprehensible attack against a merchant ship once again places innocent seafarers on the front lines of geopolitical conflict”
Platten added that Iran must release the ship “as a matter of urgency”.
Philippine authorities have expressed relief, however, that there have been no reports of harassment against the Filipino crew members by Iranian authorities. The DMW’s Cacdac said the case is different from scenarios involving Somali pirates or Houthi rebels. He said the seizure was done by the government of Iran and that the existing diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Iran is providing a framework for engagement for the release of the four Filipino seafarers.
Undersecretary of the DFA, Eduardo de Vega, gave an update that all the seafarers of the MSC Aries are safe and that they continue to perform their normal ship duties. De Vega said the reports from the shipping agency negotiating with the Iranian government are positive for the Filipinos and the other seafarers. “The seafarers will be released, but the Iranian authorities did not say when this will be,” de Vega said in a radio interview.
De Vega said that while the seizure of MSC Aries is a “political message,” the vessel’s crew now being held hostage are not the targets of the Iranian forces.
Earlier in March, two Filipino seafarers were killed and two others severely injured in the first fatal missile strike on a bulk carrier near the Gulf of Aden. The March 6 attack on Liberian-owned and Barbados-flagged bulk carrier M/V True Confidence was among the Houthi strikes on ships navigating the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Houthis began their campaign against Israeli owned ships as they declared their solidarity with Hamas, whose armed militants invaded Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Philippine government is already implementing stricter measures regarding the deployment of Filipino seafarers deployed onboard ships traveling through global hotspots. The DMW released its advisory in February, categorizing “warlike and high-risk areas”. In the advisory, it was stated that Filipino seafarers have the right to refuse sailing in war-like operation areas. They can demand repatriation at the company’s cost and compensation equal to two months’ basic wage. Seafarers who decide to proceed must receive a bonus equivalent to their basic wage or double compensation, including death and disability benefits.
Photo credit: iStock/ shellexx. Cruise missiles on the background of the flag of Iran.
