21/04/2026
An estimated 50,000 seafarers are currently stranded in the Straits of Hormuz, caught in a “traffic jam” of more than 1,000 vessels, facing missile attacks and diminishing supplies.
John Attenborough, our Middle East and South-Asia Regional Director, has reported that ships are running dangerously low on food and water, and his teams across the region are receiving an increasing number of calls for assistance.
With desalination plants unable to run while they are stationary, ships are becoming reliant on supply vessels for water, but delivering much-needed supplies under the current conditions is becoming a significant logistical challenge.
The worst affected are the crews onboard 14 vessels that were already abandoned by their owners before the war began. Without salaries or supplies, they are reliant on MtS for support.
As the conflict continues, seafarers are facing heightened safety and psychological risks. Crews report increased anxiety about personal security, contract stability, and the ability to communicate with families, compounded by the fatigue from 24hour watch. Disembarkation is now a logistical impossibility for many.
Despite these challenges, MtS pastoral teams continue to provide direct support and welfare guidance, coordinating with agents to protect seafarers’ rights, ship management companies and Gulf States to facilitate deliveries, and providing support with repatriation where possible.
Over the Easter weekend, MtS coordinated two deliveries of food and water out to vessels in the anchorages, supporting crews who had quite literally been left without anything.
Our focus remains on safeguarding well-being, ensuring fair treatment, and maintaining essential supply chains under increasingly volatile conditions.
