Indian Seafarers Return Home After Months Trapped by Gulf Conflict, but Many Fear Going Back

Thousands of Indian seafarers who were stranded in the Gulf during the conflict involving the United States and Iran have finally returned home after commercial shipping resumed through the Strait of Hormuz, though many say the experience has left them reluctant to sail the route again.

India is one of the world’s largest suppliers of merchant navy personnel, with more than 320,000 Indian seafarers employed on commercial vessels worldwide in 2025, according to the country’s shipping ministry. The government says it has assisted more than 3,600 sailors in returning home since the conflict disrupted maritime traffic in the Gulf.

The war turned one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into a high-risk zone, with several commercial vessels coming under attack. Indian crew members were among those killed and injured during the violence, raising concerns about the safety of civilian mariners operating in the region.

Thirty-one-year-old Sitaram Tandel, from Gujarat, experienced the danger firsthand while serving aboard a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. Earlier this year, another vessel operated by the same company, the crude tanker Safesea Vishnu, was attacked, killing an Indian crew member.

Weeks later, Tandel’s own vessel was struck.

“Our luck ran out,” he recalled. “It was early morning, I was getting ready for my shift when we were struck.”

Although none of the crew members on his ship were injured, Tandel said the psychological impact was severe.

“No one died, but the entire crew slipped into depression after that. It was a life-changing experience, unimaginably scary,” he said.

He added that while he is grateful to have returned home safely, he remains uncertain about returning to work in the Gulf despite needing to support his family.

Another seafarer, Ratheesan Kuttiyan from Kerala, said the crew on his Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship initially refused to sail through the Strait of Hormuz as fighting intensified.

“The previous crew refused to cross,” he said. “We tried hard to cross, but the fighting was too intense, and another vessel from the company was attacked.”

After hostilities eased, crew members were asked to sign documents confirming they were willing to continue the voyage.

“Finally, in the dead of the night we sailed through the danger zone,” Kuttiyan said, adding that he would only return if security conditions improve.

Haridas Puthiyakodi, another sailor from Kerala, said his vessel was forced to turn back to Abu Dhabi after a ship sailing ahead came under attack.

“I didn’t tell my wife I was in the war zone,” he said. “Now that she knows, she says I should never go to the Gulf.”

Veteran seafarer Tanel Hirenkumar Praveenbhai spent nearly three months stranded aboard a Panama-flagged oil tanker after the outbreak of hostilities halted shipping movements.

He recalled seeing a helicopter crash close to his vessel and missiles passing nearby while the crew remained anchored under orders not to move.

When restrictions were eventually lifted following the ceasefire, the ship departed for Dubai, allowing him to return home.

“I am never going back to Hormuz again,” he said. “No money is worth more than my life.”

Despite the reopening of shipping routes, many Indian sailors say the memories of the conflict continue to influence their decisions about future assignments in one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors.