AT the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, 26‑year‑old seafarer Ambuj has now spent two harrowing weeks stranded with his fellow crew members, unable to move amid a barrage of drones and missiles lighting up the skies nearby. He has not been home for six months and longs to see his family.
Ambuj, who declined to provide his second name for security reasons, is among roughly 23,000 Indian nationals serving on merchant, harbour and offshore vessels across the wider Gulf region.
They find themselves in the eye of a worsening conflict between Iran and a coalition including the United States and Israel.
Reuters reported on Saturday that hundreds of tankers and cargo vessels are waiting for clearance to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint through which a significant share of the world’s oil and gas shipments pass.
Iranian attacks in recent weeks have killed three Indian crew members and left another missing, drawing attention and concern in New Delhi over the safety of its citizens at sea.
“We know how dangerous it could be to sail without a navy escort or without permission,” Ambuj told Reuters by phone from aboard his immobilised vessel, where he and 15 other crew members are now effectively on standby, flanked by more than 50 other ships also awaiting safe passage.
His employer has released the crew from service while they wait for a route out.
With commercial flights from Tehran suspended, they plan to head to the nearest port with flight connections should they finally receive clearance to sail.
Ambuj recounted how alarm spread among his crew early in March after their captain received a warning over wireless communications from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that passage through the Strait would carry “consequences”.
The crew held their position, seeking permission that never came.
India, the world’s third‑largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 300,000 sailors serving on international vessels, says it is coordinating with authorities in multiple countries, including Iran, to ensure the safety of its maritime workforce.
On a separate India‑bound ship, seafarer M. Kanta described sightings of drones and fighter jets overhead and the psychological toll of their presence. Iranian authorities ordered the vessel’s Starlink internet disconnected in early March, leaving the crew cut off from outside information and increasing their anxiety.
Permission to restore the connection was granted after March 6, allowing them to communicate with families.
“There have been sirens. We saw fire on a ship at a distance and received warning messages on wireless,” Kanta said. “Our hearts sink every time we see or hear drones or a fighter jet.”
For security reasons, both Kanta and his company, as well as officials in India and Iran, have urged crews not to divulge details of their ship or precise locations.
Another crew member, speaking anonymously, said his vessel was carrying bitumen and crude, and was only a few nautical miles from the strait when he witnessed a ship being struck by a drone.
“One hobby these days is identifying planes, jets or drones we can spot from the ship. Sleeping is hard. There is a lot of anxiety,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bernama - Anadolu cited that the United Nations has reported that more than 822,000 people in Lebanon, including nearly 300,000 children, have been registered as displaced amid sustained Israeli military operations there, underlining broader regional instability.
The UN’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, told reporters that about 28,000 people are sheltering in nearly 600 collective sites across the country and that the actual number of displaced is likely much higher.
The UN, together with the Lebanese government, has launched an appeal for US$308.3 million in humanitarian funding to provide lifesaving assistance to the one million people affected by the ongoing crisis.
This comes as Israel expands its campaign with air strikes on southern and eastern Beirut and a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon on March 3, following its joint military operations with the United States against Iran initiated on February 28. - March 14, 2026
