A FILIPINO SEAFARER IS MISSING AFTER MISSILES SANK A RESCUE TUGBOAT IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The 46-year-old sailor from Capalonga, Camarines Norte had been sending video messages to his family before the attack. Then the updates stopped.

On March 6, the UAE-flagged tugboat Musaffah 2 was dispatched to assist the Malta-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige, which had already been damaged by a missile in waters near the Strait of Hormuz. Security firm Vanguard reported that at least two missiles struck the tugboat during the rescue operation. The vessel caught fire and sank.

The crew included Filipino, Indonesian, and Indian nationals. Three Indonesian crew members are also missing, according to the Indonesian foreign ministry. Four crew members survived. The Royal Navy of Oman is conducting the search and rescue operation, as the incident occurred in waters under Omani jurisdiction.

The Department of Migrant Workers confirmed that it has reached out to the seafarer's family to provide support. DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the agency is also monitoring around 6,400 Filipino seafarers currently aboard vessels operating in the region.

WARLIKE OPERATIONS AREA

The DMW issued Advisory No. 11 on March 9, officially declaring the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz as "warlike operations areas."

Under the advisory, Filipino seafarers have the legal right to refuse sailing into these zones before a vessel departs. Shipowners are required to implement enhanced security measures. If a crew member is killed or disabled in a warlike operations area, the compensation to the family is doubled.

The declaration came after the Warlike Operations Area Committee of the International Bargaining Forum, the body that negotiates conditions for global seafarers, made its assessment of conditions in the region.

Before the Musaffah 2 incident, attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz had already been escalating. On March 1, an oil tanker was struck near the strait. Two Indian crew members were killed and three others injured when the Skylight was struck by a projectile north of Khasab, Oman, on March 1. The vessel MKD VYOM was struck by a drone boat, and another Indian sailor was killed.

THE NUMBERS IN THE STRAIT

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped by 97 percent since the US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, according to United Nations data cited by Reuters. The strait typically handles more than 153 vessel transits per day. Since March 1, an average of only 13 vessels per day have passed through, according to ship-tracking data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared effective control of the strait on March 4. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson told CNBC on March 10 that "as long as the situation is insecure, all tankers, all maritime navigation must be very careful," and indicated there is no timeline for the strait's reopening.

The International Maritime Organization's Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez expressed concern over the attacks, calling the situation "unacceptable and unsustainable" and urging all parties to ensure the protection of seafarers and uphold freedom of navigation.

6,400 FILIPINOS ON THE WATER

The Philippines is the largest supplier of seafarers in the world. Thousands work on commercial vessels that transit the Gulf, move oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and service ports across the Arabian Peninsula.

Cacdac assured lawmakers that OFWs who feel unsafe may seek help from Philippine embassies and Migrant Workers Offices, which can coordinate repatriation. Since the crisis began, a total of 399 OFWs and 12 dependents had been repatriated as of March 5, according to the DMW.

One Filipino remains unaccounted for somewhere in the waters off Oman. His family is waiting.