LONDON: Seafarers working in the Gulf are suffering severe psychological trauma after more than two months stranded in the Middle East conflict zone, amid drone and missile attacks, maritime charities have warned.
According to aid organisations, workers including captains, cooks, engineers, and other crew members responsible for keeping global shipping routes operational have found themselves trapped at sea and, in some cases, directly exposed to attacks linked to the US-Israel war with Iran.
“We hear stories of how frightened they are. It’s pretty scary,” said Gavin Lim, head of the Crisis Response Network for the Sailors’ Society, a UK-based charity for seafarers. He said he had spoken to a crew whose vessel was hit and who believed “they were going to die”.
The UK maritime security agency UKMTO has reported dozens of incidents in which commercial ships were struck or fired upon by Iranian Revolutionary Guards during the ongoing escalation.
The International Maritime Organisation has confirmed that at least 11 seafarers have been killed in these attacks.
Lim added that crews are witnessing drones and missiles in real time, creating intense fear and anxiety. “You can imagine that anxiety and fear building up. Are we just bait? Are we going to be a victim so that someone can make a point?” he said.
The Seafarers’ Charity reported that around 20,000 seafarers stranded since Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on February 28 are experiencing severe mental health issues, including hypervigilance, burnout, fatigue, loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
At least two commercial vessels have been seized by Iranian forces during the blockade of the strategic shipping route. Footage has shown armed and masked personnel boarding ships.
John Canias, maritime operations coordinator for the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), said one officer suffered a panic attack during a boarding incident. He added that the seafarers involved were later able to contact their families online after being assisted.
The crisis has also deeply affected families of seafarers, many of whom are unable to reach their loved ones or are dealing with tragic losses.
On March 1, during the early days of the conflict, a projectile struck a tanker in the Gulf, killing a 25-year-old Indian seafarer who was beginning his shift in the engine room, according to Melanie Warman, communications director for the Sailors’ Society, who spoke with the victim’s family.
“The mother has been in and out of hospital, not eating. It’s obviously a really desperate situation,” she said, adding that many families are “frantic with worry” due to lack of contact with crew members at sea.
Alongside the Sailors’ Society, the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) is also receiving distress calls from stranded workers, providing both practical guidance and psychological support.
ISWAN chief executive Simon Grainge said most calls relate to repatriation concerns and uncertainty about rights, as well as stress about being in a conflict zone without training or preparation.
Experts and charities are now calling for updated training and guidance for maritime workers, saying current protocols are outdated and based largely on past threats such as Somali piracy.
Deborah Layde, chief executive of the Seafarers’ Charity, said many shipping companies are not prepared for wartime conditions. She noted that organisations are now urging the development of updated safety and mental health guidelines, including webinars for crew support.
Psychologist Rachel Glynn-Williams, who is helping develop such training, said seafarers are experiencing prolonged hypervigilance and stress without relief.
“There’s this constant higher level of stress and hypervigilance without that ability to reset as they might normally do. There’s exhaustion,” she said.
She added that recovery varies among individuals: “For some people, it might be fairly soon afterwards, within a matter of days, if not hours. For others, it might take a little longer.”