“There is no hiding place on a ship”: sailors stranded near Iran
Mohammed Zubair Khan,BBC News Urdu,
Mr. Thu San,BBC News Burmese,
Hyojung Kim,BBC News KoreanAnd
Andrew Webb and Grace Tsoi,BBC World Service
In recent days, a growing number of attacks on shipping have been reported in the Gulf region, with Iran responding to attacks by the United States and Israel by threatening to open fire on any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is a key artery for shipping, both for energy supplies and for ships carrying other goods. The sudden outbreak of war has left many ships – and their sailors – stranded at sea as they watch strikes unfold on land around and above them.
“I saw Iranian drones and cruise missiles flying at low altitude,” said Amir, a Pakistani sailor who is on board an oil tanker in the United Arab Emirates that cannot leave the area. “I also hear the sound of fighter jets, but we cannot identify which country they belong to.”
What scares him the most is the idea of an intercepted drone or missile falling on his ship.
Hein, a Burmese sailor, witnesses skirmishes every day. “Just this morning, two fighter planes shot at each other while we were still working,” he says. “There’s no specific hiding place on the ship for it, and we just had to run inside.”
We changed the names to Amir and Hein, as well as those of other sailors at sea and their families, to ensure their safety.
While it is difficult to obtain a precise figure on the number of sailors stranded on ships in the Middle East, Captain Anam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Merchant Navy Officers Associationestimates that number to be around 20,000.
Some are at sea and others stuck in port, but he says it is difficult to assess which position is more dangerous.
“Inside the port, people may think it’s safe, but there have been ships that have been bombed while at anchor,” he explains.
Her organization has so far traced at least seven ships that it says were hit by projectiles and damaged during the war.
He claims that on March 1, a sailor was killed aboard the Skylark, an oil tanker registered to the Republic of Palau.
Captain Chowdhury says the surviving sailors were “traumatized” by the attack, during which the engine room caught fire and the crew were evacuated.
Other sailors agree. Captain M. Mansoor Saeed pilots oil tankers and tells BBC News that he believes that when it comes to avoiding an attack, there is little difference between being in port or at sea: “If they want to target my ship, they will target it.”
But, he says, larger ships can usually be safer away from the coast. “In extreme weather conditions, we always run to the open sea, where we have more water and depth to maneuver freely. In ports and confined waters, bad weather can damage the ship by running aground or hitting dock walls.”
Difficulties in obtaining information at sea
The precarious situation worries the families of the sailors.
Because Iranian authorities have blocked Internet and telephone networks for most Iranians, it is difficult for sailors’ family members to get news of their fate. Although access sometimes returns, it is unpredictable and usually for short periods.
Ali Abbas’ son is on a boat in an Iranian port near the Strait of Hormuz. He last spoke to his son several days ago, when he told him about a missile attack. His son escaped, but an Indian sailor was injured.
“I hid this from my wife and my daughter-in-law,” he said through tears.
On Tuesday evening, another serious attack took place at the port and Ali was unable to speak to his son. “For the love of God, please help me,” he said, breaking down with emotion. Ali hopes that his son is still alive and well, and that the lack of contact is due to a failure in the communications system.
Interference with satellite navigation
Seo-jun (name changed) runs a boat with more than 20 crew members from South Korea and Myanmar. He says satellite navigation is collapsing, which poses additional risks.
“Since the start of the war, GPS interference has occurred intermittently, but it has gotten even worse over the last three or four days,” he says.
When their boat entered Dubai, the sailors had to navigate without GPS.
“There’s a Korean saying that describes it as ‘like a blind man looking for a doorknob,'” he says.
Supplies are running out
In addition to worrying about their safety, many sailors fear an upcoming shortage of water and food.
On Seo-jun’s boat, they have enough fresh food to last 15 days, but drinking water has become a problem.
“The ship can produce fresh water by desalinating sea water, but it becomes difficult if we don’t sail,” he explains.
“It’s already been two months since we took on board the provisions,” says Masood, a Pakistani sailor.
Before the war, Hein says his ship offered buffet-style meals and the crew could get fresh food like eggs and water whenever they wanted.
But now a quota system is in place on Hein’s ship and they only get one meal of four small pieces of meat and a bowl of fried vegetables per day. Their supplies will only last a month.
“Our life is very humiliating here and we have very little fuel and food,” says Zeeshan, another Pakistani sailor.
“No one can be happy and relax in this situation,” says Amir. “We take care of the daily tasks. Drills, safety and security training.”
Hein, who works as a senior engineer on the ship, agrees. “I don’t let myself despair because I am responsible for 20 other Burmese crew members.”
He has also prepared an emergency exit plan if the situation deteriorates further. “I told my team how to run, where to jump from and what to take if something happened.”
Insurance limits
Even if sailors reach land after their ships are docked in a safe port, there may not be an easy way for them to return home or leave the area.
Hamza says his son, stuck on a ship, is one of the sailors “who are not allowed to leave” because their companies have their passports.
At the same time, frightened seafarers who fail to fulfill their contracts by abandoning ship will have difficulty finding future employment because shipping companies could blacklist them.
The situation is desperate and Amir says he can only hope for the best and pray for the safety of all the sailors.
He also urges shipping companies not to force their crews through the Strait of Hormuz.
These fears are hypothetical, but he fears financial pressures may outweigh safety. He says that if a ship is hit by a drone or missile, it is the sailors who pay the human cost, while the goods and ships may be covered by insurance. “Human life cannot be replaced by any insurance,” he says.
He believes that the war will significantly change the maritime industry.
“The style and purpose of this war is very different from what we have seen in recent years. This war will have long-term effects on trade in the Persian Gulf.”
Captain Chowdhury believes that sailors are caught up in events for which they have no responsibility.
“People should not victimize ships. When you victimize the ship, you also victimize the sailors, who are innocent people,” he says.