Indian sailors stranded near the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran conflict have described terrifying nights of missile attacks, severe food shortages, communication breakdowns and growing financial distress after naval blockades brought one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes almost to a halt. For weeks, thousands of sailors aboard trapped cargo ships and commercial vessels remained stranded in dangerous waters while tensions escalated across the Middle East.
Among those caught in the crisis was 28-year-old Indian sailor Tithi Chiranjeevi, who spent more than a month aboard an Iranian cargo vessel trapped near the conflict zone. Speaking after finally returning to India through a long route passing via Iraq, Armenia and Dubai, Chiranjeevi described nights filled with fear as missiles and drones exploded across the sky. According to him, between 10 and 20 missiles struck nearby areas almost every night, making sleep nearly impossible for crew members aboard the stranded vessel.
Chiranjeevi had been working for six months on a cargo ship named Ilda, which was transporting construction materials to Dubai when the Strait of Hormuz was suddenly blocked due to the conflict. The blockade severely disrupted maritime movement in the region and left nearly 2,000 ships stranded around the narrow waterway, which is considered one of the most strategically important shipping routes in the world.
The Strait of Hormuz normally handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making it critical to international trade and energy supply chains. According to maritime data cited by Reuters, approximately 138 ships used to pass through the strait daily before hostilities intensified in February. Once the naval blockade began, cargo movement slowed dramatically, trapping commercial ships and creating uncertainty for thousands of sailors from different countries.
For many Indian crew members, the crisis became more than just a security threat. Food supplies aboard several ships reportedly began running low while communication systems frequently failed, leaving sailors unable to contact their families back home. Chiranjeevi said he lost communication with his widowed mother living in Visakhapatnam during some of the worst periods of the crisis. According to him, family members in India remained deeply worried because they had little information regarding the sailors’ safety or conditions at sea.
Another Indian sailor, Anant Singh Chauhan, who was also stranded aboard the same vessel, described the severe emotional stress experienced by the crew during the conflict. He said there were moments when many sailors genuinely feared they might never return home alive. Reports also indicated that at least three Indian sailors lost their lives during the broader conflict in the region.
India is among the world’s largest providers of maritime workers, with an estimated seafaring workforce of nearly 300,000 people employed across international shipping operations. As the crisis escalated, the Indian government coordinated evacuation efforts to bring stranded citizens back home safely. According to reports, nearly 3,000 Indian sailors and workers have been evacuated from Gulf-region conflict zones so far, including at least 23 rescued in recent days.
Apart from the physical danger, many returning sailors are now facing serious financial hardship. Both Chiranjeevi and Chauhan revealed that they had borrowed large sums of money at high interest rates to secure overseas maritime jobs through recruitment agents. According to them, each had paid around Rs 4.5 lakh in loans and placement costs before beginning work abroad.
With their savings depleted during the prolonged crisis and shipping operations disrupted, several sailors returned home burdened with debt despite surviving the dangerous conditions. Chauhan described the experience as feeling “like a rebirth” after finally reaching Mumbai safely near the Gateway of India.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions between the United States and Iran have reportedly gained momentum. Reports suggest that both countries are moving toward a limited temporary understanding intended to halt active hostilities and ease the naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz. Under the proposed arrangement, the immediate focus would be on ending the conflict and reopening shipping routes before beginning broader negotiations on unresolved disputes.
US President Donald Trump expressed optimism regarding the negotiations and stated that a deal remained possible. However, despite signs of progress, reports also indicate that major disagreements still remain unresolved, particularly concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, which continues to be a central issue in US-Iran relations.
For sailors who lived through weeks of uncertainty near the Strait of Hormuz, the crisis has become a reminder of how quickly geopolitical conflicts can devastate the lives of ordinary workers far from home. Many of those who survived the blockade have returned with emotional trauma, financial burdens and memories of nights spent watching missiles light up the skies over one of the world’s most volatile maritime corridors.
