All on MSC Aries ship seized by Iran are safe, operator says; 4 Pinoys among crew

The 25 crew members of the MSC Aries, which was seized by Iran on April 13, are safe, shipping firm MSC said on Wednesday, adding that discussions with Iranian authorities are in progress to secure their earliest release.

“We are also working with the Iranian authorities to have the cargo discharged,” the company said in a news release.

Four Filipinos are among the crew. On Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that they will be released “very soon.”

“Ang sinabi sa amin ng embahada ng Iran so far, pati doon sa kanila, I will quote, they will be released very soon. Lahat sila, hindi lang ‘yung apat na Pilipino. Tignan natin kung magkakatotoo ito at pipilitin natin,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told Unang Balita in an interview.

(What the Iranian Embassy told us so far, and I will quote, the crew members will be released very soon. All of them, not just the four Filipinos. Let’s see if it will come true and we will press for it.)

Portugal’s foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday to condemn Saturday’s attack on Israel by Tehran and to demand the immediate release of the Portuguese-flagged container ship.

MSC leases the Aries from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. — Reuters