Extract from ABC News
Raman Kapoor is the captain of an oil tanker which has been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the start of the war. (Instagram)
For Captain Raman Kapoor, the days aboard his oil tanker now have a dangerous familiarity, anchored on the edge of war.
"My ship is anchored in the north part of the Persian Gulf, and my ship is a crude oil tanker," Captain Kapoor told 7.30.
"We are here ever since the war started on the 28th [of] February."
Captain Kapoor won't reveal his precise location due to security fears, but the war is close to him and his crew.
They have witnessed strikes occur.
Thousands of seafarers are stranded near the Strait of Hormuz. (File photo via Reuters)
"We have noticed various missiles in the past and various explosion sounds and attacks. Many attacks on merchant ships," he said.
"One of them was very close to our ship. So of course everyone is scared."
His tanker has a crew of 24, and the captain said one of the biggest challenges is keeping up morale — especially with reports about the status of the Strait changing by the day as the US and Iran continue their dispute.
"A couple of days back, Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz and then the situation was pretty good and news brought major relief to all my crew, and it was less tension and more hopes," he said.
Oil tankers and cargo ships sit off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. (AP: Altaf Qadri/File)
"But within 24 hours we heard that again the Strait of Hormuz is closed by Iran and in fact they also attacked two ships."
The situation in the Strait remains unclear, with the US continuing to blockade Iranian ports.
Tehran has not committed to a new round of peace talks and traffic in the Strait remains at a fraction of pre-war levels.
"The relief what we got after the reopening of the Strait was turned again into uncertainty and yes, my crew is again worried," Captain Kapoor said.
Worsening conditions
Seafarers stuck in the Persian Gulf have no idea how much longer they'll have to wait there. (AP: Asghar Besharati)
All of the crew on Captain Kapoor's ship are Indian. They are just some of the more than 20,000 Indians working on ships in the Persian Gulf, according to Manoj Yadav, the General Secretary of the Forward Seaman's Union of India.
They not only work as crew on oil tankers and cargo ships, but also on support ships that supply oil and gas platforms in the gulf.
"Thousands of seafarers, mainly Indian seafarers … are working on (these) small craft, barges, tugboats, offshore vessels, which are all operating within the oil field in the middle conflict zone," Mr Yadav told 7.30.
"The seafarers were under big fear because the targeted area is very close to their ships.
"You can say Iranian navy and the coast guard vessels are very close, even within a 500 metre or one kilometre range. These vessels got targeted."
As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has gone on, Mr Yadav says the conditions for crews stuck on ships offshore or in port were worsening.
Ships floating off the coast of Dubai. (Supplied: Sentinel Hub)
"They were feeling just like a jail nearly 30 days or 40 days on board without [being allowed] to go outside, without [being allowed] to communicate.
"Many [ports have] restricted their communication also not to share photos, not to share videos.
"Many other conditions were also imposed … many seafarers face so many challenges, shortage of food is one of them."
Iran's missile-laden coastline
One of the other challenges of navigating the Strait right now is the risk for owners of ships when it comes to the safety of their vessels.
Jakob Larsen, head of maritime safety and security at BIMCO, the world's largest association of shipowners based in Copenhagen, believes many will be reluctant to send their ships through until a peace deal is negotiated.
Seafarers are heading into their third month of being stuck in the Gulf. (Reuters)
"I think for shipping to resume, we are going to need to see that the warring parties have a … reasonable chance that they actually agree on a peace deal, and then traffic can start to move," Mr Larsen told 7.30.
"In the short-term, I don't see that happening. The gap between the two is just too big."
Mr Larsen believes even the US Navy will struggle to force the Strait open.
"Iran controls the whole northern coastline of the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
"It is composed of mountainous terrain, so it's very difficult to get the sufficient level of military control with that area for the US.
"Iran has dispersed their anti-ship missile capability along the whole coastline, which is more than 500 kilometres.
"So, Iran still retains the capability to project sea power into the Strait of Hormuz … and (US Navy) escorts are not going to change that."
Despite that Mr Larsen believes there will always be a small minority of owners willing to risk sending their ships through the Strait.
"Every ship owner has different risk acceptance criteria," he said.
"We never go into advising on specific transits and so on but what we can do is advise about the threat and currently the threat is too high."
Until that threat level changes, oil tankers like the one commanded by Captain Kapoor will stay at anchor, his crew heading into their third month waiting for safe passage through the Strait.
"There is very volatile situation at the moment," he said.
"Of course, there is always an end to any war. But when it will happen nobody knows.
"We are waiting, we are being optimistic — and waiting for the right moment."
Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV
No comments:
Post a Comment