The Department of Foreign Affairs said nine Filipino seafarers from an oil tanker seized by Iran’s Navy arrived in the Philippines on Sunday, while two more are expected to come this week.

Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said the two other Filipinos will leave by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Six other Filipinos in Iran are awaiting replacements before returning to the country.

"They are not hostages per se, because they volunteered to be left there because of the double salary offer so out of their own free will, they willingly stayed there,”De Vega said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

Some 18 Filipino crew of St. Nikolas tanker were in the custody of Iran’s Navy after the tanker’s seizure in January of this year.

The seizure by Iran’s Navy was done in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the United States.

It was in accordance with a court order, state-run IRNA news agency added. DMS