'Mental well-being' biggest fear for thousands of seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

solid food and irrigate remain a important interest for many of the thousands of seafarers stranded on vessels in the sound of Hormuz.

"The whole stress of being out on the sea — they feel very vulnerable because of the drones and the missiles," he said.

"We have seen a number of deaths from missiles."

For weeks, around 20,000 seafarers on some 1,500 vessels, including oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Gulf, unable to cross the strait.

While seafarers can be out at sea for months, Cotton said all the intercontinental ships in the Gulf were told to lay up anchor, meaning the vessels are parked offshore. Because of the cost of bringing crew back and forth to and from shore, "we're hearing, they're literally on board the vessels for the last nine weeks."

And it seems unlikely that the ships will be able to cross the strait any time soon. Iran has said it was reviewing the latest U.S. Proposals on ending the war, just as the U.S. Military reported that it intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. Forces.

The tide changes with the weather, so the seafarers are constantly manoeuvring, he said, meaning they work every day, Cotton said.

"It is an unprecedented situation,” Damien Chevallier, director of the maritime safety division at the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), said in an interview with CNN this week. "It is a humanitarian crisis. We have never faced such a situation.”

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Chevallier has previously spoken about the "psychological stress" the seafarers are under, with much of that coming from the fear of being struck by a missile or drone. Since the war began, there have been more than two dozen attacks on vessels in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to the IMO. At least 10 seafarers have been killed.

Oil tanker captain Raman Kapoor, who has been stranded in the strait since late February, said he and his crew have been lucky in that they have received sufficient water supplies and food from their tanker company.

Still, the the biggest challenge has been "the mental pressure, not the material," he told the BBC.

He said they have various watchkeepers keeping constant surveillance for missiles, drones or unidentified boats.

"Sometimes we have witnessed hundreds of missiles flying over our head in a span of 30 to 40 minutes. That was a very, very, very devastating and frightening moment for all of us."

According to the recently released Seafarers Happiness Index, an annual questionnaire that monitors seafarer satisfaction levels, some have spoken about similar fears.

"Whether there was a risk of attack or not, one can easily sense the fear and the uncertainty which seafarers are experiencing," the report said.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a recent UN briefing that he had spoken to a seafarer who had been trapped in the Persian Gulf for more than six weeks.

He played a recording from the conversation, which included the seafarer talking about the high stress level of the crew, many of whom could not sleep.

"Aside from the exhaustion and toll on mental health of the crews, they feel invisible, that they are not valued. There is much more we need to do."

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That could include the home countries of the seafarers offering assistance through remote support and helplines and keeping families informed, he said.

Supplies also remain a constant concern. Dominguez  warned that water,  food and fuel will start running short for some ships.

Cotton said other ships are able to bring in supplies, "but obviously, it's all at a cost."

He said that the majority of the big shipping companies have been looking after their crew "very maturely."

But it's the smaller regional operators that "don't have big, deep pockets" where the crew might be hurting for supplies, Cotton said.

Mohamed Arrachedi, a union co-ordinator for the International Transport Workers' Federation, told the Wall Street Journal that at the beginning of the war, most of the requests he received from seafarers were about repatriation from their vessels.

But now, more and more are related to the essential supplies, he said.

"The current situation of Hormuz Strait is not so good. Our condition has been [deteriorating] as the days are going on."

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The Seafarers Happiness Index said that as vessels remain stranded, unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz or access ports for resupply, "basic necessities are becoming natural concerns."

It quotes from some seafarers saying there is not enough drinking water or fresh water for washing and that they have to boil water for drinking, Another says meals have dwindled to one a day and that supplies will only last for a month.

Senior Reporter

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