Russian yacht, cruise ships ferry PH seafarers out of Hormuz
A Russian super-yacht trapped in the Gulf by the Iran war carried stranded Filipino seafarers out through the perilous Strait of Hormuz, the government said on Tuesday.
The Russia-flagged Nord, a 466-foot-long yacht reportedly linked to Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov, passed the strait on Saturday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said in a statement.
On board the yacht and a bulk cargo ship that also passed that day “were 36 Filipino seafarers, bringing the total Filipino crew of vessels out of the Strait to close to 1,200,” it added.
Past the chokepoint
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac told a news conference last week that about 800 of them had been taken through the strait in cruise ships that sailed past the chokepoint with passengers.
Maritime trackers indicated that several cruise ships managed to make it through the route on April 18, after Iran briefly announced it was lifting its closure of the strait.
Cacdac said 15 other Filipino seafarers were on board two container ships, the Epaminondas and the Francesca, that were later seized by Iranian forces on April 22.
“We have been assured that all 15 Filipino seafarers are safe, unharmed, and it will be a matter of time for their ships to be cleared,” he said.
