“Sitting Ducks”: thousands of sailors trapped in Gulf

a LNG tanker

Thousands of seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz turns some of the world’s largest oil and gas tankers into exposed targets.

Stephen Gudgeon, a retired merchant captain who spent decades sailing through the region, warns the danger has reached levels he never experienced in 50 years at sea. Around 1,000 ships and 20,000 crew are now effectively trapped, unable to exit as tensions escalate with Iran.

“Ships are just sitting targets,” he says. “Even if you had armed guards on board, they couldn’t shoot down a drone.”

Explosive cargo, nowhere to run

Many of the vessels anchored across the Gulf are giant tankers carrying enormous quantities of fuel.

Some are up to 400 metres long and transport around 250,000 cubic metres of liquefied gas or oil — cargo that could ignite catastrophically if struck. Double hulls offer protection against spills but not missiles or drones.

With ships clustered together and unable to sail, Gudgeon warns they now present “a big target”.

Iran’s chokehold on global shipping

The crisis follows escalating hostilities between Iran and the United States after attacks that reportedly destroyed dozens of Iranian naval vessels.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to keep Hormuz blocked. The narrow waterway handles roughly a fifth of the world’s oil trade, meaning disruption is already pushing energy prices higher.

In Washington, Scott Bessent of the United States Department of the Treasury said the United States Navy could eventually escort ships through the passage — but warned that operation may take weeks to organise.

Crews face shortages and mounting fear

The immediate risk is not just attack but isolation.

Many ships carry limited supplies, and fresh food could run out within weeks. Water-makers on some vessels only operate while sailing, complicating resupply for ships stuck at anchor.

The maritime union Nautilus International says seafarers must not become “collateral damage” in geopolitical conflict.

History shows the danger is real

The threat to merchant crews in the region is not theoretical.

During the Iran–Iraq tanker war of the 1980s, hundreds of civilian sailors were killed. More recently, the oil tanker MV Mercer Street was struck by Iranian-made drones in 2021, killing a British security guard and the Romanian captain.

For those now stranded in the Gulf, Gudgeon says the fear is simple: a missile or drone strike that turns a waiting tanker into a floating fireball.

I captained tankers off Iran. They’re sitting ducks