The 2020s are proving to be a brutal period for seafarers stuck at sea – and by extension securing enough crew numbers for the future. First came covid, alongside ever-increasing cases of crew abandonment, plus the ongoing 865-day Red Sea shipping crisis. Now the United Nations is warning that today’s Hormuz crisis – into day 34 – has no precedent in the post-World War II era for seafarers caught up in a war zone. 

Some 20,000 seafarers have been caught up in the geographical cul-de-sac that is the Persian Gulf since the US/Israeli coalition launched its war on Iran on February 28.

A similar situation appeared when war broke out between Russia and Ukraine in early 2022, albeit on a smaller scale. Merchant ships were suddenly trapped in Ukrainian ports while missiles were falling around them.

There is no precedent for the stranding of so many seafarers in the modern age

Since the beginning of the Persian Gulf conflict, there have been more than 20 attacks on vessels in the strait, with 10 seafarers killed and eight injured.

“There is no precedent for the stranding of so many seafarers in the modern age,” Damien Chevallier, director of the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Division, said in an in-house United Nations interview.

“It is a very scary situation, and one can only imagine the psychological stress they are under,” Chevallier said.

The IMO concluded an extraordinary session of its council last month in London to address the Hormuz crisis. The session backed the creation of a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the stranded vessels and seafarers, though this has not been possible in the fortnight since the meeting concluded. 

The corridor concept draws inevitable comparisons to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which carved out a protected shipping lane from Ukraine early in the Russia-Ukraine war. That mechanism was widely regarded as effective in addressing global food security pressures, though it relied heavily on UN and Turkish guarantees. 

“If seafarers do not feel safe due to conflicts like the one which is taking place now, then it will be difficult to attract the next generation to meet what are expanding needs,” Chevallier warned.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) met representatives from Gulf States late last month to address the ongoing conflict and its direct impact on seafarers and shipping in the Gulf. Discussions focused on urgent, practical joint initiatives such as resupplying vessels.

Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the ITF, said: “Seafarers are on the frontline of this conflict, and right now too many are facing extremely difficult conditions. It is essential that they have access to food, clean water, fuel and medical care. These are not optional; they are fundamental rights. At the same time, no seafarer should be expected to remain in a conflict zone against their will.”

Conflict could well trump covid when it comes to destabilising the balance of shipping

The ITF has received more than 1,000 emails and messages from seafarers stuck around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region since the war erupted.

As it was forced to during the covid era, India’s Directorate General of Shipping has just extended the validity of crew certificates by three months for seafarers stuck in the region.

Writing for Splash last month, Steven Jones, founder of the Seafarers Happiness Index, noted: “For all the stupidity, fear, and frustration of the pandemic years, at least there was a sense then that someone, somewhere, was trying to be benevolent, to save lives. The restrictions were harsh, but their intent was humane. Now, crews face violence without reason, danger without purpose, and blame without justice. Conflict could well trump covid when it comes to destabilising the balance of shipping.”