“I am worried,” a sailor stuck in the Gulf told AFP on Friday, his vessel unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked for nearly two weeks after US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“Every day on the ship, I can see missile launches and hear explosions, making me feel like I was in danger,” said Wang Shang, 32.
Wang, a Chinese national from the landlocked central province of Henan, works on a foreign ship used to transport liquefied petroleum gas sourced from the energy-rich region.
Since navigation in and out of the Gulf essentially came to a halt, Wang has shared his experiences by posting videos on Douyin, the Chinese domestic version of TikTok.
“We cannot leave at present,” he said. “If we wanted to depart now, it would be impossible.”
In one video from February 28 — the day that the United States and Israel launched the war — the ship’s receiver is shown as the strait is declared shut by Iranian authorities.
“Attention all ships, this is Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. For your information, the Strait of Hormuz from now on is … every navigating from the Strait of Hormuz is banned from now on,” a stern voice is heard warning.
AFP is not disclosing the name of Wang’s ship at his request.
‘Worried’
However, vessel tracking data matches his description of the location in the waters roughly 30 nautical miles north of Dubai.
“I am worried because yesterday a ship’s engine room was struck by an Iranian drone just two nautical miles away from my vessel, that’s approximately 3,600 metres, which is very close,” Wang said.
AFP was not able to independently verify the cause of the incident.
Wang says the ship was struck before sunrise on Thursday.
He shot a video of the vessel when it became light, with black smoke still billowing from one side.
Wang told AFP that the stricken ship is the Source Blessing, a Liberian-flagged container vessel with a black hull.
German shipowners Hapag-Lloyd said on Thursday that the Source Blessing caught fire after being “hit with shrapnel” overnight, adding that no one was injured.
A company spokesman told AFP that “we don’t know where (the debris) came from, whether it was a rocket or a drone” or other type of munition.
Wang said he doesn’t expect the situation to improve soon.
He said he has heard of crew members on other vessels receiving double pay during the crisis.
“But on our ship, I can’t even confirm if we’ll get the war bonus,” he said.
“Even if we do, I’ve heard it’s only $700, which is very low … I feel the risks I’m taking aren’t commensurate with the income I’m receiving.”