«It’s not as bad here as it is in Ukraine»: the story of sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

Ships at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz, photo by Amirhossein Khorgooei / AFP

Ukrainian sailors have found themselves among the ships blocked in the Strait of Hormuz due to a major escalation in the Middle East.

This is reported by the publication «Suspilne».

For over two months, merchant ships have been unable to leave the conflict zone, remaining at anchor off the coast of the UAE under threat of shelling from Iran.

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One of the sailors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he came under rocket fire whilst in port at the end of February. According to him, Iranian rockets flew directly over the vessel, and the crew counted hundreds of launches.

Despite attempts to quickly leave the danger zone, the vessel was forced to return to its anchorage following warnings from the Iranian military that anyone attempting to leave the strait would be shot.

The Ukrainian notes that his experience of living through a full-scale war at home helped him to remain calm, unlike his colleagues from other countries, who reacted strongly to the explosions.

There are 31 people on board, nine of whom are Ukrainian citizens. The shipowner allowed anyone who wished to disembark, but part of the crew decided to stay on board due to additional payments for working in a combat zone.

Life on the stranded vessel is currently stable: the company is supplying water and food by barge, and the crew has internet access to keep in touch with their families.

The sailors spend their free time in the gym, playing table tennis or fishing, whilst waiting for permission to continue their voyage.

«I got in touch with my family, reassured them, and explained that it’s not as scary here as it is in Ukraine. That was really true. I also told them that as long as we’re at anchor, everything will be fine,» the sailor concluded.

As a reminder, Iran has begun attacking US bases in the Persian Gulf and launched a ballistic missile strike on Israel.