The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported late on 26 May that 59 merchant vessels carrying 1,834 Filipino crew members had successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz since April, despite heightened security alerts. The update is closely watched in the UAE, where Dubai’s Jebel Ali and Fujairah act as crew-change hubs for many of those ships. According to the DMW, a further 17 vessels with nearly 300 Filipino seafarers were preparing to enter the chokepoint, which lies less than 150 km from the UAE coastline and is critical to the country’s energy-export and re-export logistics. Manila said it was coordinating real-time with shipping companies, flag states and Gulf port agents to keep crew welfare front-and-centre. For UAE shipping agents and HR marine managers, the bulletin offers cautious reassurance: planned crew rotations at Jebel Ali, Ras Al Khaimah and Khalifa Port can proceed, limiting costly off-hire time and visa re-scheduling. Philippine overseas-labour attachés in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have meanwhile advised employers to maintain rapid-response hotlines and to brief seafarers on the UAE’s 96-hour transit-visa option should emergency shore leave be required. Regional insurers have kept elevated war-risk premiums in place, and vessels are still advised to sail at maximum speed and to file transit plans with UAE and Omani authorities 48 hours in advance. Nevertheless, the DMW’s figures suggest that maritime traffic—oil tankers, bulkers and container ships—continues to move, underscoring the UAE’s role as a stable staging ground for Gulf shipping even during periods of geopolitical friction. Mobility planners should monitor further advisories from both the DMW and the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, particularly if additional naval exercises or drone incidents are reported in the Gulf of Oman, which could prompt last-minute port-call changes and affect on-signer visa issuance.
Source: GMA News Online
