20,000 civilian sailors are stuck in the gulf that opens to the Strait of Hormuz

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics 20,000 civilian sailors are stuck in the gulf that opens to the Strait of Hormuz Thousands of seafarers remain stuck as the Strait of Hormuz blockade continues.

+ World 20,000 civilian sailors are stuck in the gulf that opens to the Strait of Hormuz April 30, 20265:53 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Diaa Hadid sailors stuck aboard ships in the gulf Listen &middot; 3:18 3:18 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5802991/nx-s1-9751991" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Thousands of seafarers remain stuck as the Strait of Hormuz blockade continues. The United Nations urges for a plan to facilitate their release. Sponsor Message SCOTT DETROW, HOST: For about two months now, the U.N. estimates some 20,000 civilian sailors have been stuck in the Persian Gulf. That is because it lies behind the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route that has been blocked since the latest Mideast war began. NPR's Diaa Hadid reports from Mumbai.

+ RAMAN KAPOOR: I'm Captain Raman Kapoor from India. My ship is in the north part of Persian Gulf. We are total 24 crew member on ship, including myself. DIAA HADID, BYLINE: It's been difficult reaching sailors stuck in Gulf waters. Communications are wobbly, Sailors fear talking and angering warring parties by inadvertently revealing important military details. But Kapoor spoke to NPR on condition that we don't identify the ship or the company he works for. He tells NPR producer Shweta Desai... KAPOOR: We have become, you know, collateral victims of this war and we are stranded in war zone. And the most disturbing part is the uncertainty and helplessness. So we are waiting to go our home and meet our families as families are waiting desperately. HADID: He says civilian sailors have largely been safe since the ceasefire was announced in the first week of April, but they're stuck. They're surviving on fresh water and food boated in from a nearby port. KAPOOR: We are at anchor. We are out at sea and there is no way that we can step out of the ship. HADID: He says to pass time, they play table tennis, chess. But Kapoor writes later in a WhatsApp message, monotony is harsh. The quiet now is a contrast to when fighting was at full steam, as one sailor, or seafarer, told the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED SEAFARER: It started like hell. It was total chaos. In the nighttime also, we could see the missiles getting intercepted. It was very dangerous. We got very panicked. HADID: The U.N.'s International Maritime Organization shared the audio on its website. It did not identify the seafarer. Some seafarers, or sailors, and their ships have left the strait. Industry officials tell NPR that some countries and shipping companies paid Iran for their ships to pass. SANTOSH KUMAR: (Speaking Hindi). HADID: Other sailors paid their own way home, like Santosh Kumar, who was stranded at Iran's Khorramshahr Port. He borrowed nearly $7,000 for an agent to drive him hundreds of miles across Iran - at war - to reach neighboring Armenia. From there, he flew to Dubai, then India. KUMAR: (Speaking Hindi). HADID: He says, "My family just wanted me home alive. After all, if you're alive, you can make more money." Still, the majority remain stranded, and the U.N. is calling for their evacuation. The State Department hasn't responded to questions about whether the U.S. will help civilian seafarers leave the strait. And an Iranian official who requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to media simply blamed the U.S. and Israel for the blockade. Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai. (SOUNDBITE OF SHIGEO SEKITO'S "THE WORD II") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1168:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(321)},321:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1141),c(116),c(95),c(52),c(492),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1142),c(144),c(1143),c(238),c(48),c(1144)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1168,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();