Stranded at an Iranian port for practically 10 weeks, Indian seafarer Anish has unintentionally grow to be a firsthand witness to the Iran conflict.
Anish arrived within the Shatt al-Arab waterway on a cargo ship days earlier than United States President Donald Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury” on February 28.
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He has been caught on the vessel ever since.
“We’ve confronted the entire state of affairs right here, the conflict, the missiles,” Anish, who was granted a pseudonym after agreeing to talk on situation of anonymity, advised Al Jazeera.
“Our minds are terribly distracted.”
A few of his fellow Indian seafarers have been capable of return dwelling by crossing Iran’s 44km land border with Armenia, Anish mentioned, however many others have remained as a result of they’re nonetheless ready to receives a commission.
“Some are caught due to their Indian brokers; they don’t seem to be getting their salaries,” Anish mentioned, referring to the middlemen who recruit seafarers, handle payrolls and handle different worker issues on behalf of transport companies.
“Some are caught as a result of the Iranian brokers say we is not going to provide the {dollars} to achieve Armenia.”
Anish mentioned he has been subsisting on a weight loss program of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and flatbread, however has heard that meals and water on different ships are operating low.
Anish’s predicament is one confronted by an estimated 20,000 seafarers stranded since Iran in impact shut the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for america and Israel’s assaults on the nation.
Earlier than the conflict, the strait functioned as one of many world’s most crucial transport routes, carrying about one-fifth of world oil and fuel provides, and one-third of the seaborne fertiliser commerce.
Regardless of the announcement of a tenuous ceasefire between Washington and Tehran on April 7, maritime site visitors has remained at a standstill amid recurrent assaults in and across the waterway.
US Central Command mentioned on Thursday that it had “intercepted” and “eradicated” inbound Iranian threats after three US Navy guided-missile destroyers got here beneath assault from missiles, drones and small boats whereas crossing the strait.
Iran’s navy mentioned it had retaliated towards the US Navy vessels after US forces focused an oil tanker in its territorial waters.
Tehran additionally accused Washington of violating their ceasefire by finishing up air strikes on civilian areas, together with Qeshm Island.
All through the conflict, Iran has supplied ships secure passage via its territorial waters for a payment, whereas persevering with to fireside intermittently on industrial vessels.
On the identical time, the US has blockaded Iranian ports since April 13 in a bid to disrupt Tehran’s oil exports and entry to international foreign money.
UK-based maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s Record mentioned on Monday that not less than 4 industrial ships had been fired upon since the day before today, whereas a container ship operated by French firm CMA CGM on Wednesday reported that it had come beneath assault whereas crossing the waterway.
The United Nations Worldwide Maritime Group estimates that not less than 10 seafarers have been killed because the begin of the conflict.
Iran’s service provider marine union reported that not less than 44 Iranian seafarers, together with dockworkers and fishermen, had been killed as of April 1.
Trump mentioned on Wednesday that US officers held “superb talks” with Tehran and {that a} peace deal was “very doable”, however it stays unclear how shut the edges are to any settlement.
The MSC Francesca ship is seen throughout its seizure by the IRGC within the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on April 24, 2026 [Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]
Whereas some ships have managed to exit the Strait of Hormuz throughout temporary lulls in hostilities, every day brings new uncertainty for the civilian crews manning the Gulf’s huge fleet of oil, fuel and container ships, in keeping with labour teams.
Final month, Iranian forces detained two foreign-flagged cargo ships and their crew, whereas the US Navy captured three Iran-linked industrial vessels within the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
The prospect of being detained on prime of being stranded at sea has created an “enhanced state of worry,” mentioned Stephen Cotton, normal secretary of the Worldwide Transport Staff’ Federation, which represents about 700 unions throughout 150 international locations.
“For the reason that starting of the 12 months, we’ve obtained navy forces boarding ships prefer it’s the seventeenth century, and that’s terrifying,” Cotton advised Al Jazeera.
“It’s type of loopy, as a result of these are seafarers. These are simply staff.”
The IMO has known as the state of affairs dealing with mariners an “unprecedented” humanitarian disaster, although situations dealing with staff can fluctuate significantly relying on the shipowner and whether or not they’re unionised.
Whereas seafarers on board vessels operated by main worldwide transport strains have been receiving hazard pay and different help, some seafarers working with smaller operations are struggling to receives a commission or have their fundamental wants met, in keeping with Cotton and different seafarers’ advocates.
“The fact is you’ve obtained two sorts of transport industries. One is the intercontinental commerce – the massive fuel, the massive oil, and the massive containers. Then you definately’ve obtained the native commerce supplying oil, meals, water and shifting it across the Gulf,” Cotton mentioned, including that smaller vessels typically function with out unions or the “rigorous enforcement of worldwide rules”.
Saman Rezaei, normal secretary of the ITF-affiliated Iranian Service provider Mariners Syndicate, mentioned that many international seafarers in Iran work for “irregular businesses” that don’t meet worldwide requirements.
Crew rotation has grow to be a significant strain level for ships.
Beneath the 2006 Maritime Labour Conference – a global treaty ratified by 111 international locations, together with China, India, Japan, Australia, and the UK – the utmost time a seafarer may be required to serve on board is 12 months.
Whereas seafarers have a authorized proper to go away their vessel past this era, unstable situations have made repatriation a sophisticated and costly prospect.
In some circumstances, particularly on board giant cargo ships nonetheless at sea, departing crew should first get replaced by incoming workers for security causes.
“With the ships unable to maneuver and flights disrupted, many have had no selection however to stay on the ships even after their deliberate rotation,” John Bradford, a former US Navy officer and government director of the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Research in Japan, advised Al Jazeera.
“This retains them from their households and creates all kinds of social ripple results whilst they proceed in a state of affairs that’s more and more irritating.”
‘I advised my crew the best way to run’
Steven Jones, the founding father of the “Seafarer Happiness Index,” mentioned seafarers’ self-reported wellbeing rating has fallen about 5 p.c throughout the conflict.
Seafarers have described seeing Iranian drones and missiles flying at low altitude, Jones mentioned.
“One advised us: ‘What scares me probably the most is the considered an intercepted drone or missile falling on us,’” Jones, who’s affiliated with the UK-based Mission to Seafarers charity, advised Al Jazeera.
Different seafarers have reported dwindling meals provides and making ready escape plans, Jones mentioned.
“A number of senior officers say they’ve needed to put together evacuation plans for his or her groups: ‘I advised my crew the best way to run, the place to leap from, and what to hold if one thing occurs,’” Jones mentioned, quoting one seafarer.
Earlier this week, Trump introduced that the US would start guiding stranded ships out of the strait from Monday, earlier than suspending the operation lower than 48 hours later to pursue peace talks regardless of ongoing assaults within the waterway.
A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship M/V Touska within the north Arabian Sea on April 19, 2026 [Centcom/Handout via Reuters]
Even when the strait had been to reopen tomorrow, commerce flows would take a while to return to regular resulting from broken regional infrastructure, maxed-out storage services throughout the Gulf and a backlog of exports, in keeping with transport and logistics specialists.
For the stranded seafarers, there’s additionally the query of discovering a secure route out of the strait, the place Iran has reportedly laid sea mines.
US officers advised The New York Instances final month that Tehran had laid the mines haphazardly and was unable to find all of them.
“There was a variety of hypothesis about extra exact numbers, however the truth is that we don’t know; uncertainty is central to mine warfare, and creating uncertainty about threat is a part of the purpose of conducting it,” Scott Savitz, a senior engineer on the US-based Rand Company who has studied naval mine warfare, advised Al Jazeera.
Savitz mentioned that it might be doable to ascertain an exit hall in a number of days, however clearing the strait of mines might take weeks and even months.
“Iran has said that it has laid mines in and across the Strait of Hormuz, however it’s doable that they’ve laid them in different areas,” Savitz mentioned.
The IMO introduced in late April that it was engaged on an evacuation plan that prioritises ships based mostly on humanitarian want, however that “all events” concerned within the battle would wish to chorus from assaults for such an operation to proceed.
“It’s a really harmful second,” the ITF’s Cotton mentioned.
“We’re all saying the identical – don’t transit except you understand it’s secure – however I don’t suppose anybody actually is aware of what’s secure any extra.”
The longer the conflict drags on, the upper the chance that ship operators will abandon their vessels with out settling all excellent pay, in keeping with seafarers’ advocates.
“This can be a longstanding drawback within the area, and as cargo disputes come up or the mechanical situation of vessels deteriorate, then the temptation for ‘dangerous house owners’ is to stroll away,” Jones mentioned.
Anish, the Indian seafarer, mentioned he has not been paid by his Dubai-based agent for 9 months.
He’s imagined to obtain a fee in US {dollars} later this month, however he’s anxious that his firm might withhold the sum.
“My contract end date is the twentieth of Might,” Anish mentioned.
“Perhaps the corporate will present my wage after that,” he mentioned. “I don’t know ”
