Seafarers trapped in the Gulf are suffering — it’s time we paid attention

Seafarers trapped in the Gulf are suffering — it’s time we paid attention
Elisabeth Braw March 27, 2026 https://www.politico.eu/article/seafarers-trapped-persian-gulf-war-globa...

As global confrontation intensifies, shipping crews are left to face the consequences. And the result is real human tragedy.

Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, author of the award-winning “Goodbye Globalization” and a regular columnist for POLITICO. Her new book, “The Undersea War,” is out later this year.

In the Persian Gulf, thousands of seafarers are trapped on ships that can’t move, with cargo that’s hazardous or decaying, sometimes even with colleagues who have been injured or killed and can’t be evacuated. In the Red Sea, seafarers have endured more than two years of similar perils.

These are not exceptions. As global confrontation intensifies, seafarers are suffering the consequences. The result is real human tragedy, and its implications will affect all of us.

As I write this, some 3,000 merchant ships remain stuck in the Persian Gulf. Although Iran recently started letting a few of them transit the Strait of Hormuz, they have to do so through a safe corridor established by the government in Tehran. And that’s an option available only to a few ships, namely those from friendly countries like India.

For the remaining 20,000-plus seafarers, the terrifying wait that began on Feb. 28 continues. “We now have double digits in terms of fatalities,” said Joshua Hutchinson, chief commercial officer at the maritime risk company Ambrey. “And the people on board have families; they have children. Humans like them are the forgotten element in these situations of war.”

They are, indeed.

While the world — rightly — frets about oil prices, natural-gas prices, access to fertilizer and all the other economic consequences of the war in Iran, the seafarers trapped in the Persian Gulf face an increasingly desperate situation. And though the Gulf is indisputably more secure than the Strait of Hormuz, it is by no means safe: Some of the crew members who have been killed or injured since the hostilities began were on ships in the Gulf.

In fact, the situation is so perilous that it’s been impossible to evacuate some of the injured seafarers. A few have died awaiting treatment. As a result, some of the trapped ships now have deceased crew members on board.

Spending 24 hours a day in a confined space with deceased colleagues is unimaginable in and of itself — but around these ships, the hostilities continue. On March 16, a Kuwait-flagged LPG tanker was hit close to the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Just three days later, an offshore vessel was struck just off the coast of Kuwait — the 18th incident involving a trapped ship since the war began.

And that’s not all. Some of the stranded ships are now starting to run out of food and other necessities. “It’s not as easy as people think to get resources to the ships,” explained Hutchinson. “And now we’re beginning to see pressure on supplies getting to the ships. The firms that deliver the supplies are local. Fuel is up from $700 per ton to over $2,000, and these firms have to secure the supplies in the first place, which isn’t easy when the Strait of Hormuz is closed. And in a situation like this, delivering the supplies to the trapped ships requires a lot of time and resources too.”

These ships are also carrying all manner of cargo — oil, gas and fertilizer, of course, but also perishable commodities and, most likely, even livestock. Imagine sitting on top of cargo that could explode at any moment — or die. “Some will be able to leave, but for the ones with U.S. and Israeli affiliation, there’s no way out,” Hutchinson noted.

And Europe-linked ships may remain trapped too: According to the Financial Times, on March 24, Iran circulated a letter to members of the International Maritime Organization, announcing that “non-hostile vessels” would be able to transit, but that Tehran had “taken necessary and proportionate measures to prevent the aggressors and their supporters from exploiting the Strait of Hormuz to advance hostile operations against Iran,”

But crews come from all over the world: Most ratings come from countries like the Philippines, India and Indonesia, while officers typically hail from countries like Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. Hard-working seafarers are on the front line in geopolitical confrontations they have no involvement or say in.

Indeed, the perils in the Persian Gulf aren’t the only man-made threat they face today: In the Red Sea, crews have endured more than two years of Houthi attacks, and several have been killed. The crew of the Galaxy Leader — comprised of 25 nationals from the Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine — were held hostage by the Houthis for over a year.

Meanwhile, around the world, countries’ commitment to maritime rules is fading, and that stands to harm all consumers and national economies. Without shipping, there is no shopping, manufacturing or indeed much economic activity of any kind.

But those most affected are, of course, the nearly 2 million men and women crewing the world’s merchant fleet. “Increased geopolitical tensions and war are holding international shipping in its crosshairs,” said Svein Ringbakken, CEO of the maritime war-risk insurer DNK. “The maritime domain was on fire before this war started, and this war has further increased the risks for seafarers.”

These crews might be out of sight, but their situation should not be out of mind, precisely because we need them every hour of every day. “We have a seismic issue in seafaring,” Hutchinson warned. “Why on earth would anyone want to go to sea under conditions like these? Yes, you make pretty good money, but if it means the risk of war every single day? How do you recruit for that? A few hundred dollars more in pay for going into a risky zone isn’t going to convince enough people to go into seafaring. We’ll struggle to get them in and to keep them in. Someone joining the military does so accepting the risk of war, but the same shouldn’t be expected for seafarers.”

It absolutely should not. A century ago, lots of Westerners went to sea. Then life on shore began offering more opportunities, so most would-be seafarers stayed home. Fortunately, they were replaced by their brethren from countries like the Philippines and India. But they, too, want and deserve to live.

The crews trapped in the Gulf deserve our attention because they’re suffering. The future of global shipping also depends on it.