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  "path": "/2026/05/05/sailors-stranded-strait-hormuz-months-desperate-hug-families-28243747/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-05T14:14:44.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
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    "Iran",
    "Iran war",
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    "Donald Trump",
    "the war",
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  "textContent": "To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\nAs Donald Trump launches a new plan to get ships through the Strait of Hormuz, some of the thousands of seafarers who have been stranded since the start of the war are feeling less than optimistic.\n\n‘It’s been a lot of missile watch and table tennis,’ Captain Raman Kapoor said.\n\nAs of this month, around 20,000 seafarers are trapped on 2,000 ships across the Persian Gulf as missiles continue to rain down on the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe Hormuz Strait is a crucial waterway, which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas supply is meant to pass through freely.\n\nBut maritime workers have been stuck in the water ever since US President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury with Israel on February 28 against Iran.\n\nThis includes Captain Kapoor and his 23 crew members, who are now six months into what was meant to be a four-month trip.\n\n##  Sign up for all of the latest stories\n\nStart your day informed with Metro's **News Updates** newsletter or get **Breaking News** alerts the moment it happens.\n\nHe told **Metro** : ‘We all miss our families. The first thing I will do when I get back to India is hug my wife, kids and parents.\n\n‘I am used to working away for long stints, but this time it was different. This time I was stuck in a war zone.’\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz between southern Iran and Oman’s Musandam Peninsula (Photo enhanced and published by maps4media via Getty Images)\n\nA Thai-flagged cargo ship on fire after being hit by Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz (Picture: EPA)\n\nCaptain Kapoor’s ship, which transports crude oil, was on its way back to India when violence erupted across the Middle East.\n\nThe ship was situated close to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been a source of utter frustration for Trump as the Iranians sealed off access, causing fuel prices to soar.\n\nNeighboring ships have been hit with drones and debris, and Captain Kapoor’s crew has been, understandably, tense.\n\nThere is a new rota on board for round-the-clock missile watches, but a lot of cleaning jobs are also getting done as the ship waits for permission to sail.\n\n‘We just don’t want people to isolate themselves,’ Captain Kapoor said. ‘That’s when morale really hits rock bottom, and that is my priority.’\n\nTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\nEvenings are spent playing table tennis and eating from their recently replenished stock, delivered to them by a much smaller boat.\n\nThere is little hope Trump’s new Project Freedom, which will see the US ‘guiding’ ships which have been stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, will make any difference.\n\nThe thousands of seafarers who have been stranded have heard repeated promises from both Iran and the US the Strait will reopen for their safe passage.\n\nCaptain Kapoor said: ‘Nothing ever stays for long with Trump. There are ceasefires, and then there are no ceasefires. Iran lets us in, then they change their mind.’\n\nAnd the International Transport Workers’ Federation agrees.\n\nGeneral Secretary, Stephen Cotton, said: ‘At the moment, there is little clarity on how Project Freedom will provide safe evacuation, nor assurance from Iran that transit will be guaranteed.\n\n‘Until we have those assurances, we are calling on shipowners and flag states not to treat this announcement as a green light. These workers have already endured weeks of fear, uncertainty and hardship. They must not now be put in harm’s way.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,** check our news page.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Sailors stranded in Strait of Hormuz for months ‘desperate to hug families’"
}