ITF to shipowners: Do not gamble with seafarer lives

ITF to shipowners: Do not gamble with seafarer lives
The Editorial Team April 23, 2026 https://safety4sea.com/itf-to-shipowners-do-not-gamble-with-seafarer-lives/

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has strongly condemned a recent wave of attacks and vessel seizures involving civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, urging all parties to immediately stop using commercial vessels as instruments of war.

Within a 24-hour period, three civilian vessels were attacked and two were seized by Iran, while the United States also seized one vessel. ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said these actions are deliberate and not accidental, warning that commercial shipping has effectively become “a theatre of this war,” with civilian seafarers bearing the consequences.

Cotton stressed that seafarers, many from the Global South, are “key workers” with no role in the conflict and no ability to influence it, yet are being used as “pawns” in geopolitical tensions.

He called on shipowners not to risk crews’ lives, stating that no commercial pressure justifies exposing seafarers to such danger, and that no vessel should transit the area without guaranteed safety.

The ITF is sending a clear message to shipowners: do not gamble with seafarers’ lives. No cargo, no contract, no commercial pressure is worth a seafarer’s life. Until there is genuine, guaranteed safety, no vessel should be transiting this war zone with civilian crew aboard … said the organization in its statement.

The federation has demanded the immediate release of all detained vessels and seafarers, an end to attacks on civilian shipping, and full compliance with international law to protect maritime workers. It also highlighted growing concerns over the mental health impact on stranded seafarers, many of whom remain isolated, uncertain, and unable to return home.

Since the conflict began, the ITF reports receiving around 1,900 requests for assistance from seafarers and their families in the Persian Gulf region. Roughly half concern pay and contractual issues, 20% relate to repatriation, and about 10% involve shortages of essential supplies. So far, 450 seafarers have been repatriated with ITF assistance.

Behind every one of the 1,900 requests we’ve received is a seafarer who is stranded and desperate for help … Cotton said, adding that these workers have names, families, and rights that must be recognized and protected.