Some 20,000 seafarers are trapped in the Persian Gulf, unable to leave through the Strait of Hormuz. They’re undoubtedly safer there than they would be in the strait, where Iran continues to threaten merchant vessels. But even in the Gulf, they’re not completely safe from drones and missiles. Seafarers are innocent victims of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran—and the only people who can save the global economy from its tailspin.

On March 16, the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations reported that “vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters have been struck by projectiles, explosive boats, drones and other weapons” since the war began on Feb. 28. As of March 17, 17 ships had been hit, seven seafarers had been killed, and numerous other seafarers had been injured or were missing, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Some 20,000 seafarers are trapped in the Persian Gulf, unable to leave through the Strait of Hormuz. They’re undoubtedly safer there than they would be in the strait, where Iran continues to threaten merchant vessels. But even in the Gulf, they’re not completely safe from drones and missiles. Seafarers are innocent victims of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran—and the only people who can save the global economy from its tailspin.

On March 16, the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations reported that “vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters have been struck by projectiles, explosive boats, drones and other weapons” since the war began on Feb. 28. As of March 17, 17 ships had been hit, seven seafarers had been killed, and numerous other seafarers had been injured or were missing, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

At the eastern end of the Gulf, right inside the Strait of Hormuz, hundreds of merchant vessels are now moored, waiting for the strait to become passable. If one adds the rest of the Gulf, the number of ships trapped reaches an astonishing 3,200. Missiles have already struck several vessels in the Persian Gulf and in the Gulf of Oman on the other side of the strait. One ship was hit in Iraqi waters; one crewed by Thai seafarers was badly struck in the waters between Bahrain and Oman.

To avoid this fate, crews on ships waiting in the Persian Gulf are desperate to show that they and their ships are not affiliated the United States or Israel or even allied nations in Europe or East Asia. Many of the crews have come up with a clever plan; rather than broadcasting their destination, as ships normally do, they state nationalities: “China owner & crew”; “Indian ship Ind crew”; “Iraqi owner”; “Chinese crew”; “China ship”; “Kuwait flag”; “Crew China”; “Indian ship/Indians”; “China vsl [vessel] & crew.”

So perilous is the seafarers’ plight in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz that on March 18 and 19, the IMO convened an emergency meeting to discuss it. The meeting resulted in a condemnation of Iran’s threats and attacks on merchant vessels. But this resolution won’t end the war, and without an end to the hostilities, the seafarers’ plight will continue.

In the meantime, these individuals are not allowed to abandon their ships. Imagine the chaos if seafarers simply left their ships when matters got dangerous. But in the Gulf, that means that crews are now stuck in a daily rhythm of fear and boredom. “You get into a daily routine. You do your daily maintenance and so forth,” said Guy Platten, until recently the secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping. “And presumably the crews will be able to rotate out at some point. It’s not like it was during COVID, when they were stuck on their ships because they were not allowed to go ashore. But seafarers didn’t call for this war, nor do they have anything to do with it, and yet they’re among the people who’ve been affected the most.”

The trapped seafarers include 611 Indians, as well as many from countries such as China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. “The warring parties disregard their safety, and the risks they face increase each day,” a seafarer chaplain said in a statement provided to me by the Mission to Seafarers, an international NGO. The chaplain added: “Ship crews in our region find themselves facing a difficult choice: work under pressure or refuse to work. This causes them significant stress. Some have even told me that refusing to come to the Middle East might prevent them from being hired by any shipping agent again and from finding work in the future.”

At least the trapped crews are not starving. Although most merchant vessels don’t carry food for long, unexpected periods at sea, shipping lines have arrangements with local firms that provide such supplies to ships that are stuck for whatever reason. So far, the waters are safe enough for these smaller supply ships to reach the trapped megavessels, but there’s no guarantee that will remain the case. European governments are already thinking about how to help get additional provisions, and even replacement crews, to the trapped ships if the situation becomes more volatile.

“There are lots of responsible shipowners, especially among the tanker fleet, and they’ll look after their crews as best as they can,” Platten said. “These owners won’t demand that their ships run the gauntlet through the Strait of Hormuz.” (Platten, a former seafarer himself, served on merchant vessels in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War.)

Some governments have taken to negotiating safe passage through the strait for ships flagged or owned in their countries. China, India, Iraq, Malaysia, and Pakistan are in talks with Tehran, Lloyd’s List reports. Since the war began, some 90 ships have transited the strait, mostly Iranian shadow tankers. At least nine, primarily Indian ones, have traversed the strait through a safe corridor announced by Iran. The corridor routes ships through Iranian territorial waters, where Iranian authorities visually inspect them.

Because they often traverse politically challenging waters, ship captains are skilled geopolitical interpreters. It’s no surprise that ships stacked north of the Strait of Hormuz are broadcasting national affiliations that largely match those of the countries now in talks with Iran. “You can understand why people are broadcasting like that,” Platten said. “China is a big oil customer of Iran, as is India.” Indeed, some of the ships broadcasting “Chinese crew,” “Indian crew,” or “Iraqi owner” possess no such thing; instead, their crews have correctly concluded that broadcasting such national affiliation is their best chance for security, whether they remain moored in the Gulf or attempt the passage.

Tanker crews trapped in the Persian Gulf should “show some guts,” U.S. President Donald Trump said a week into the war, when oil prices were beginning to spike. The 20,000 seafarers sitting atop very large and very flammable ships in the middle of a war zone are already showing extraordinary guts. The question is for how much longer these innocent victims of the war will be asked to persevere.