New Delhi — For nearly eight weeks, Indian Captain Rahul Dhar and his crew have been stranded on their tanker in the Persian Gulf, occasionally watching drones and exploding missiles as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. iran war dragged on.
Crew morale remains high as they continue their daily routine, he said, but stress is beginning to show.
an unstable ceasefire Relations between the US and Iran have brought a “cautious sense of hope” to the crew, but there is still no clear end to the war. “Day-to-day, we try to keep things normal with open conversations and small team activities that help keep everyone in good spirits.”
The crew observed drone and missile interceptions several times near the ship and over the horizon during their surveillance. “Those moments were difficult and created real stress for the crew,” Dhar told The Associated Press.
“None of us expected a war-like situation,” he said, adding that reliable internet has helped them stay in touch with families. “Those calls and messages really keep us grounded and give us strength.”
about 20,000 sailors Hundreds of ships, including oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, are stuck in the gulf and unable to cross. strait of hormuz. Typically about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travels through waterways.
According to maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence, about 80 ships passed through the strait in the week of 13–19 April, compared with about 130 or more transits per day before the war. Dozens of ships have been attacked since the war began and the United Nations says at least 10 sailors have been killed.
Even as US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely last week, the US continued the blockade of Iranian ports. Iran in response fired on ships in the strait and seized two.
“Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, yet we are often the ones most affected by regional geopolitical conflicts,” said Captain Arun Kumar Rajendran, who has been stranded with his tanker crew for nearly eight weeks.
Manoj Kumar Yadav of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India said thousands of Indian sailors were aboard stranded ships, enduring days of fear and isolation as the ships remained anchored near Iranian ports such as Bandar Abbas and Khorramshahr. Sometimes the explosions occurred only a few hundred meters (yards) apart.
“They were watching the explosion from their deck,” he said, adding that his union was fielding daily distress calls from the crew and their families. “Many of them were on board a ship for the first time, and you can imagine the mental state they went through.”
India is one of the world’s largest suppliers of maritime labour, with more than 20,000 nationals working on foreign-flagged ships in the region, many beyond the reach of coordinated evacuation efforts. India’s shipping ministry said last week that at least 2,680 sailors had been evacuated since the conflict began.
Yadav said many sailors have reported acute shortage of food and drinking water, with some ships forced to ration supplies. Communication with families in India was sporadic due to internet disruptions and signal jams. When connectivity was possible, he said, sailors often had to pay high roaming charges for a few minutes of conversation.
The families of the sailors are growing worried and are demanding the safe return of their loved ones.
Mohammed Arrachedi, the International Transport Workers Federation’s network coordinator for the Middle East, said earlier this month he had received hundreds of requests for assistance, including food, from seafarers.
Reza Muhammad Saleh, the Indonesian chief official aboard a Greek-owned cargo ship stranded in Oman for more than a month, said a drone exploded near the port shortly after their arrival on March 3. At least two more incidents occurred, leading to repeated evacuation of crews to bunkers, he said. No one was harmed.
“The biggest problem is uncertainty. We don’t know when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen,” Saleh told the AP.
The ship, with 24 crew members from Indonesia, Arab countries, India and Ethiopia, usually transports iron ore to Gulf states, transiting the Strait of Hormuz once or twice a month. Now it requires written approval from Iran. “No company wants to take the risk without it,” he said.
Despite being experienced in conflict zones, he said, the crew has been dogged by missile attacks and GPS disruptions, forcing it to use manual navigation.
He said, “Sometimes we think it is safe, but suddenly it is not. Today we are safe. Tomorrow, no one knows.”
Fleet Management Ltd. typically communicates with dozens of stranded ships several times a day, said its CEO Captain Rajalingam Subramaniam, who employs more than 400 sailors.
Regular stock checks for food supplies are carried out and pickup arrangements have been made to ensure availability by moving ships to the nearest points from where they can pick up fresh and dry goods, he said.
Some crew changes were still occurring, but in limited numbers. “Who wants to go on the plane?” Subramaniam said. “Inbound crew have the right to refuse and we respect that.”
Most of the stranded sailors have remained in the Gulf since the war began. “Sailors who have not signed up to go to a war-torn area should also be respected so that they do not become unintended collaborators,” he said.
Many of the ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz during the armistice were fired upon and others turned back. Ships managed by Fleet Management did not attempt to cross, Subramaniam said.
About 150 sailors on six ships of Hapag-Lloyd, Germany’s largest shipping company, are stranded near the strait. “These are difficult days and weeks,” Hapag Lloyd spokesman Nils Haupt told the AP earlier this month. He said Hapag-Lloyd was in contact with captains and crew at least once a day.
“In the meantime we have been able to rotate some of them (the crew), but you can easily imagine that after such a long time, monotony naturally sets in on board,” he said.
The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations shipping agency and others have called for a safe corridor for commercial ships in the strait. Most ships are still unable to pass, even though Iran has said the strait is open to ships it considers non-hostile and demanded Collecting toll for the route.
Iran is said to have kept mines in the waterway, and Trump said last week that the U.S. clearing iranian mines and would “shoot and kill” boats laying mines in the area. Under the increased risk of mines and attacks on ships, “there is no safe transit anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz,” said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.
Many sailors have been stranded at sea due to several crises in recent years. These include the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Subramaniam said he is concerned that even after the Iran war ends, fewer people will be willing to sign up at a time when there is already a shortage of skilled sailors.
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Chan reported from Hong Kong. Carmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press journalists Chonchui Ngashangwa in New Delhi, Kerstin Sopke in Berlin and John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.
