LNG Carrier Stranded Off Pakistan as Hormuz Crossings Fall 90%

A 314-metre LNG carrier, the Al Ruwais — flying a Bahamian flag and owned by a UAE company — has been adrift off Pakistan for weeks after its 34-member crew refused orders to cross the Strait of Hormuz, where two concurrent naval blockades have been in force since US-Israeli strikes in late February.

Traffic through the strait has fallen from more than 125 vessels daily before the conflict to fewer than 10 to 12, a drop of more than 90%, according to ship-tracking firm Kpler. UK Maritime Trade Operations has recorded multiple incidents involving fires, sinkings and power failures aboard tankers and LNG carriers in the passage.

Under maritime regulations, the right to refuse transit into a designated warlike area is individual — one dissenting crew member is enough to halt a vessel. On ships whose crews do agree to cross, companies have offered captains up to $100,000 (€89,000) per month plus $50,000 (€44,500) risk bonuses, while ordinary crew wages have risen four to six times.

"On other ships, they give as much as $10,000, but not everyone gets the same amount, and it depends a lot on the position and base salary," an electrician aboard the Al Ruwais told Euronews. "It's only fair that everyone gets the same amount, otherwise, it would mean that the captain's life is worth more than that of the deckhand."

Ships that do attempt the crossing have been turning off satellite AIS transponders, extinguishing running lights at night and shutting down radio equipment to avoid detection. The southern corridor near Oman is patrolled by US forces; the northern route passes through Iranian-controlled waters, where the IRGC Navy has warned vessels on unauthorised routes face "punitive action".

Hamed, a 50-year-old former Iranian captain who now runs a maritime management company in Iran, told Euronews that since March of last year the war has resulted in the deaths of some 95 seafarers in commercial, fishing, passenger, tugboat and offshore platform support roles.