Ten weeks stuck in the Strait of Hormuz: how sailors are surviving

Key Points:

• In 2026, around 20,000 seafarers aboard 2,000 vessels have been trapped near the Strait of Hormuz for ten weeks, creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as described by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
• Seafarers face severe mental and physical hardships, including fear of attacks from drones and missiles, rationing of food and water, and isolation, compounded by a lack of shore leave and limited support.
• The crisis is exacerbated by ship owners' reluctance to pay for necessary supplies and fuel, while supply deliveries near UAE ports continue under risky and costly conditions.
• The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has received over 2,000 assistance requests, mainly about pay, contracts, repatriation, and basic necessities, but has only managed to repatriate 500 seafarers so far.
• Many seafarers feel trapped and vulnerable, with no means of defense and constant fear of being ordered into dangerous zones like the Strait of Hormuz, where incidents such as the attack on the Indian tanker Sanmar Herald have heightened tensions.