The sea is sometimes so calm that Captain Hasan Khan forgets that his ship has been stuck in the middle of a battlefield for three months.
“It's really strange that everything looks normal on the outside, but the people inside are not calm,” the Pakistani sailor told the BBC.
Although the situation in this part of the bay seems normal, it is not normal at all. Hassan Khan and 20,000 other sailors have been stranded in or around the Strait of Hormuz since late February due to the US-Israel war with Iran. What was once one of the world's busiest waterways, transporting one-fifth of the world's oil and gas, has become stagnant. Because missiles are flying overhead and mines are laying underwater.
Still the crew of Captain Hasan Khan's ship is trying to follow their normal work routine. Of course, no one wants to leave the ship, even if they rarely get permission to go ashore. And the cheerful conversation has now turned into an anxious silence punctuated occasionally by the buzzing of the phone. People startle at the slightest sound, even in sleep.
Hasan Khan said, “This stress is always on our minds. Everyone is completely exhausted physically and mentally.”
A map of the Straits of Hormuz and the Gulf region showed about 1,600 ships stranded there. In addition to the dangers of missiles and mines, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that 1,600 ships stuck on the opposite side of the Strait of Hormuz are unable to get out. A few days after the war began, Iran closed the narrow waterway—the only way out of the Gulf—and would not let anyone out without their express permission.
“It's like we're stuck in a pond. There's only one way out, and that's Hormuz,” said Shafiqul Islam, captain of the Bangladesh-owned ship Banglar Jayayatra.
Jayyatra of Bengal is carrying about 37 thousand tons of fertilizer to South Africa. Captain Shafiqul tried to leave the country twice in the following months. Both attempts failed.
After the cease-fire was announced on April 8, Shafiqul Islam learned that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had allowed another ship to cross. He then steered his ship along with four other ships towards that important waterway. Shortly thereafter they were barred from proceeding.
Shafiqul Islam tried again nine days later, when Iran announced that the strait would remain 'fully open' to all commercial vessels under the ceasefire. But Iran quickly reversed that decision when the United States maintained its blockade of Iranian ports.
By that time, Shafiqul Islam's ship had come within 30 nautical miles of the Strait of Hormuz. He had no choice but to turn the ship back. Warnings of attacks were constantly blaring over the radio.
For safety, the ships moved to various ports in the Gulf or anchored away from the coast. But now the availability of food and water supply has become increasingly important.
It is still possible to do this without entering a port, as the Gulf region – particularly around Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait – has well-established logistics services. But supply is now uncertain.
Rashedul Hasan, chief engineer of Bengal's Jayayatra, said, “The price of water has increased the most among all the daily necessities. We bought about 180 tons of water for the ship two days ago. Earlier, its price was between 1,500 and 2,000 dollars. Now we are spending 11,000 dollars.”
“It also seems that some food and water suppliers are trying to take advantage of the situation to make extra profits,” said a Korean sailor who asked not to be named.
As summer approaches, stranded ships will need more water. Air temperatures exceed 30°C in May itself – and can go as high as 45°C.
They still have food and water on Hasan Khan's ship. He still gets beef and chicken, but vegetables and pulses are hard to come by.
Still, Shafiqul Islam considers himself lucky. On the second day of the conflict, his ship was just 200 meters (656 ft) from Dubai's Jebel Ali port—the length of a medium-sized tanker—and the port targeted by Iran's attack.
Since then, Islam and his 30 sailors haven't finished counting the number of attacks they've seen.
“Sometimes missiles fly over one ship, sometimes debris hits the next,” the captain said.
Rashedul Hasan, engineer of Bengal's Jayatra, said, “Whenever the attacks continued throughout the night, none of us could sleep. We saw the horror and devastation with our own eyes.”
They have good reason to be afraid. The IMO said at least 11 seafarers were killed and one more is missing in 39 confirmed incidents.
Tensions eased somewhat after the cease-fire, but ongoing military activity in the Straits is a reminder of its fragility.
Some sailors see drones and fighter jets, while others regularly see Navy ships and submarines.
According to Kepler, the marine information agency, approximately 750 ships have been able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since February 28.
Dr. CNA, a non-profit research organization based in Washington DC. Jonathan Schroden said the owners of the ships appear to have relied on direct international diplomacy with Iran, mostly from China, India and Pakistan.
He said it appears they also paid “millions of dollars in fees for each ship.”
Diplomacy is now the best hope for 'Bangla Jayatra' and the Government of Bangladesh is working with the owner Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) to ensure the ship's departure.
But that too proved difficult.
BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek said initially Bangladesh agreed to pay the toll demanded by Iran. But that plan was shelved after the US threatened sanctions against any such country.
“We are now in a dual crisis,” he said.
