Seafarers trapped in conflict: what’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

More vessels are crossing the Strait of Hormuz after Iran announced “non-hostile” ships may transit if they coordinate with Iranian authorities. But the future is uncertain, according to an oil tanker master who was granted safe passage after being stranded three weeks in the region.

“One particular party may say it will allow safe passage, but conditions of safe passage depend on various factors, and parties involved are too many,” said Captain Samanth Baktavatsalam.

Baktavatsalam, an Indian national, is a tanker master with 27 years of sailing experience. But never before had he led a crew stranded at sea during an escalating conflict.

“It was quite intense,” he told CNN. “We could actually see projectiles and naval and air force services in action, and we could actually see some of the damage on the coastline.”

Baktavatsalam and his crew were stuck in the Gulf of Oman for three weeks before their vessel gained safe passage with military escort by an undisclosed regional authority. He did not disclose further details about the vessel or which flag it was sailing under.

Their tanker experienced near-complete GPS jamming, forcing the crew to rely on traditional navigation methods, he said. Keeping crew morale high was another challenge that Baktavatsalam managed with open communication, one-on-one check-ins, and remote counseling support.

Supplies became tight, but his vessel was still relatively better off than some others.

“Indeed, we are definitely one of the lucky ones,” he said. “In some places there are extreme cases of water rationing and managing with whatever they have.”

Baktavatsalam was one of an estimated 20,000 seafarers stranded in the region, caught in the crossfire of the US-Israeli war with Iran.