Maritime welfare and labour organisations have strongly condemned the latest attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that civilian seafarers are being placed in intolerable danger as regional tensions escalate.
The statement followed the events of 22 April, when Iranian forces fired upon three container ships, with conflicting reports later emerging over whether some of the vessels had subsequently been seized.
The Seafarers’ Charity described the latest developments as a shocking escalation, saying that attacks on innocent seafarers should never become normalised.
The charity said the Strait of Hormuz is clearly not safe for civilian transits and called on all parties involved in the regional conflict to ensure the waterway is made safe. It also urged crews not to take the risk of passing through the area while the threat remains so high.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) also reacted, with Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemning the seizure of commercial vessels and calling for both the attacks and detentions to stop immediately.
He said attacks on and seizures of merchant ships are unacceptable and urged for any detained ships and innocent seafarers to be released without delay. Dominguez also questioned why companies would continue exposing crews to such a volatile environment.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) similarly denounced the attacks and said commercial shipping must not be used as an instrument of war. Since the conflict began on 28 February, control over access through Hormuz has increasingly become part of the broader economic confrontation involving Iran and the United States.
ITF general secretary Stephen Cotton said civilian mariners are effectively being turned into casualties of a conflict they did not create and cannot control. He stressed that seafarers are not soldiers, but workers — often from the Global South — carrying the cargo that supports the global economy.
While The Seafarers’ Charity called directly on crews to avoid the Strait, the ITF focused its message on shipowners and operators, saying no commercial pressure, no cargo and no contract can justify risking a seafarer’s life. Until meaningful safety guarantees are in place, it argued, no civilian-crewed vessel should be sent through the war zone.
The ITF also shared details of the humanitarian strain the crisis is creating. Its Seafarers’ Support and Inspectorate teams have reportedly received 1,900 requests for assistance from seafarers in the Gulf and their families. Around half of those relate to pay and contractual issues, while 10% concern ships running short of water, fuel or food. Around 20% were repatriation requests, and the federation said it has already helped 450 seafarers return home from the region.
Both organisations also highlighted the severe mental health impact of prolonged uncertainty, fear and isolation on crews stranded by the conflict and separated from their families.
Cotton said each of the 1,900 cases represents a person with a family, rights and a life beyond the ship, adding that the fact the industry still has to remind the world of that is deeply troubling.
