Overview
- For more than two months, about 20,000 crew on roughly 1,500 ships have been stuck at anchor in Gulf waters without safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Maritime monitors including UKMTO and the IMO have logged dozens of attacks on commercial vessels, with at least 10 to 11 seafarers killed and reports of two ship seizures by Iranian forces.
- Crews describe constant watch for drones and missiles, sleep loss, panic attacks, and fear that their ship could be targeted at any moment.
- Welfare groups such as the Sailors' Society and ISWAN say requests have shifted from repatriation to basics like water, food, and fuel, and they are boosting helplines and counseling for workers under fire.
- Charities and unions, including the Seafarers' Charity and the ITF, are pressing for updated wartime guidance for shipping, and some are launching training and webinars to help crews and families cope.