The Broken System That Keeps Shipping Crews Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

When conflict disrupts global shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz, vessels don’t always leave. Sometimes, they can’t. Across key maritime corridors in the Gulf region, ships have become stranded—some due to escalating hostilities, others because of a less visible failure: a global shipping system where ownership, regulation, and responsibility often do not align.

For the people working on board, that failure can mean being unable to leave.

A seafarer from Kerala, India, PK Vijay had taken out a loan for what he believed would be stable work at sea. His promised monthly salary was meant to support his family back home. “I was told I would be working on a ship,” Vijay says. “But when I got here, I was assigned to a scrap vessel.” He was told he would be transferred to another vessel.

Months passed. The transfer he was promised never came. According to Vijay, both the agent who facilitated his employment and the ship’s owner eventually stopped responding to his calls. More than a year later, he says he has not been paid.

“I have finished my contract, but have not been paid a single rupee. It has been 14 months. And they won’t even let us leave,” he says.

The two-member crew of the Mahakal has not heard from the owner in over a year, nor have they been paid for their labor. Without an official “sign-off” letter from the ship owner, Vijay says he cannot legally disembark or return home.

Caught in the System

Since the start of the conflict in the region, many civilian ships have found themselves in the crossfire. This has been compounded by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, essentially trapping ships in their positions and leaving them vulnerable to attack.

For crews on board, immobility carries risk. “Thankfully, there have been no attacks or incidents close to us,” Vijay says. “But we are living in fear.”

According to the International Maritime Organization, at least 18 incidents involving attacks on ships were reported in the region up to March 24, with fatalities and injuries recorded.

For an estimated 20,000 seafarers and port workers operating across the region, the risks have increased. For those already stranded on vessels, options are limited.

Built Across Borders

Modern shipping often spans multiple jurisdictions: A vessel can be owned in one country, registered in another, managed by a third party, and physically located elsewhere.

Under normal conditions, that complexity keeps global trade moving. In times of crisis, it can leave workers in limbo—particularly on vessels that are poorly regulated or effectively abandoned.

In practice, cases like Vijay’s fall into a legal gray zone. Ships can be owned, registered, and operated across different countries, leaving no single authority clearly responsible when something goes wrong. Even when contracts end, seafarers often depend on ship owners to sign off their release.

If that cooperation disappears, so does any clear path home. Labor organizations such as the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) say intervention is possible but often depends on coordination across jurisdictions and cooperation from ship owners.

The Rise of Abandoned Ships

Vijay’s vessel, Mahakal, has a documented history of labor issue allegations. Maritime advocacy groups say that it is owned by a private individual and is not officially registered with the International Maritime Organization. This is not an isolated case.

According to the ITF, 2025 saw the highest number of ship abandonments on record, with 409 vessels reported abandoned and more than 6,200 seafarers affected globally. Over 150 of those cases occurred across the wider Middle East region. Indian nationals made up the largest group of abandoned seafarers, followed by Filipinos and Syrians.

Since the escalation of conflict in the region, ITF officials say they have received dozens of distress calls daily from seafarers, particularly those on vessels where owners have ceased communication.

In some cases, ITF documented that the machinery of the ships was destroyed, leaving them without fuel and power. “Just recently, we got a video from a seafarer that shows a missile exploding perhaps 10m away from the ship,” Canias shares.

Trapped Between Systems and Conflict

For seafarers on abandoned vessels, the risks are not only physical. Isolation, uncertainty, and lack of mobility can take a significant psychological toll.

Vijay says he tries to reassure his family during phone calls, even as his situation remains unchanged. “My family is worried about me, but I try to show them I am happy,” he says. “But I am in a very depressing situation.”

Global shipping continues to function, even under strain, rerouting cargo, adjusting to risk, and maintaining the flow of goods across regions. But for workers on vessels that fall outside those systems of accountability, movement is not guaranteed.

For seafarers like Vijay, the infrastructure that brought them there continues to operate, but without any clear way out.