The 2020s have been an exceptionally challenging era for seafarers, with conditions at sea becoming increasingly dire and raising concerns about the future of crew recruitment. The decade began with the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by rising cases of crew abandonment and the prolonged 865-day Red Sea shipping crisis. Now, the United Nations has highlighted the ongoing Hormuz crisis—currently in its 34th day—as an unparalleled situation for seafarers in a war zone since World War II.
Approximately 20,000 seafarers are currently trapped in the Persian Gulf, a geographical dead-end, following the US/Israeli coalition’s war on Iran, which began on February 28. This scenario echoes the early days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, when merchant ships were stranded in Ukrainian ports amidst missile strikes, though the scale of the Hormuz crisis is far greater.
Since the onset of the Persian Gulf conflict, over 20 attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have been reported, resulting in 10 fatalities and eight injuries among seafarers. “There is no precedent for the stranding of so many seafarers in the modern age,” said Damien Chevallier, director of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Division, in a United Nations interview. “It is a very scary situation, and one can only imagine the psychological stress they are under,” he added.
Last month, the IMO convened an extraordinary council session in London to address the crisis. The council endorsed the creation of a humanitarian corridor to evacuate stranded vessels and their crews. However, two weeks after the session, the corridor remains unrealized. The proposal has drawn comparisons to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which successfully established a protected shipping lane from Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine war. That initiative, widely praised for alleviating global food security concerns, relied heavily on guarantees from the United Nations and Turkey.
“If seafarers do not feel safe due to conflicts like the one taking place now, it will be difficult to attract the next generation to meet the growing demands of the shipping industry,” Chevallier warned.
In response to the crisis, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) held discussions with Gulf State representatives late last month. The talks focused on immediate, practical measures, such as resupplying stranded vessels with essential provisions. Stephen Cotton, ITF’s general secretary, emphasized the urgency of the situation: “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.”
The ITF has received over 1,000 messages from seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas since the conflict began. In a move reminiscent of the COVID-19 era, India’s Directorate General of Shipping has extended the validity of crew certificates by three months for those stuck in the region.
Reflecting on the crisis, Steven Jones, founder of the Seafarers Happiness Index, wrote in Splash last month: “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 destabilizing the balance of shipping.”
Copyright: https://splash247.com/hormuz-crisis-places-seafarers-in-conditions-unmatched-since-wwii/
By Sam Chambers