US Edition20,000 Civilian Sailors Are Stuck in the Gulf that Opens to the Strait of Hormuz
The crew face missile threats, exhaustion and dwindling supplies as shipowners, sanctions and blocked port access prevent repatriation.
- The United Nations International Maritime Organization raised alarms over a humanitarian crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where up to 20,000 seafarers on 2,000 vessels remain stranded in dangerous conditions.
- Since the start of the Iran war, the Strait has been shut, forcing crews to endure physical danger from military operations, fatigue, and inadequate medical facilities aboard aging vessels.
- The 'shadow fleet,' operating in breach of sanctions, has expanded to 20% of global tankers, while early 2026 abandonment cases already exceed 6,000 seafarers.
- Abandoned seafarers were owed US$25.8 million in unpaid wages in 2025, of which just $16.5 million was recovered; maritime law prevents crews from leaving ships under most circumstances.
- Although the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 designates seafarers as 'key workers,' enforcement remains difficult because ships move beyond regulators' reach, leaving crews without support or repatriation.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Up to 20K sailors trapped near Strait of Hormuz as Trump's war rages
By Claudio Bozzi, Lecturer in Law, Deakin UniversityAs the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drags on, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization has sounded the alarm over a related humanitarian crisis: the plight of the crew stuck on ships at or near the strait.Up to 20,000 seafarers on...
Nearly 2,000 ships and some 20,000 sailors are stranded in the Persian Gulf, waiting to cross the strategically important passage.
20,000 stranded seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz face missile fears, exhaustion and isolation
As the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drags on, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization has sounded the alarm over a related humanitarian crisis: the plight of the crew stuck on ships at or near the strait. Up to 20,000 seafarers on 2,000 vessels remain stranded in and around the strait, enduring a combination of physical danger and psychological stress typical of combat zones. They face daily horrors at work. Exhausted by the r…
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