From The New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitro-Eff.
This is The Daily.
The US and Iran are each signaling that they may be making progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
But they haven't reached a deal yet, and the crucial shipping channel remains shut.
Hanging in the balance are thousands of crew members who have been stranded on their ships since the fighting started three months ago.
Today we hear from two seafarers who got stuck about what it's like to be trapped in the middle of this war zone and what it would mean to get everyone out.
It's Friday, May 29th.
Can you hear me?
Yeah, I can hear you.
Okay, great.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us.
Yeah, no problem.
So just to start, can you introduce yourself, please?
Yeah, my name is Captain Virendra Vishwakarma.
I'm sailing on LPG tankers since last five years.
And before I was captain on oil chemical ships, I started my career in 2000.
So now it's already 26 years in the shipping industry.
Captain Vishwakarma has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz dozens of times.
But before the war began, he said the wider world didn't know much about it.
It's a relatively small body of water that's basically the doorway to the Persian Gulf.
At its narrowest point, it's only about 21 miles wide.
But in that sliver of ocean, there's a bustling waterway.
The Strait is one of the world's most critical energy corridors.
It's responsible for 20% of the world's oil and natural gas supply.
More than 100 ships pass through it every day.
We have container ships, we have cargo ships, we have crude oil, we have vegetable oil ships, we have chemical tankers.
And all these ships are carrying different things.
We are taking the gas.
We are taking the petrol.
We are taking the gasoline.
And they are taking from one place to another place and giving to the world.
— Captain Vishwakarma's ship is an LPG tanker.
That's liquefied petroleum gas.
His ship takes it back to India, where people use the butane and propane for heating, cooking and fuel for cars.
He says he loves the work.
Hmm.
The idea is basically that you're keeping the world economy moving.
That's what you mean by that?
Yeah, that is right.
Suppose if you buy a Christmas gift from China, it should reach to New York on 24th of December.
So our job is to make sure that it will reach on 24th of December, not 25th or 26th.
So our importance in the world economy is if the seafarer will not take, then the whole world will be stopped.
So a few months back, on February 28th, it was just another day at work.
His ship had made it to the port of Kuwait and his crew had started loading the butane and propane onto the ship.
So at 1700 hours, I heard a sound.
And that's where he was when the war started.
Like, boom.
I thought maybe the crew was banging the door, but again i hear the same thing.
So i thought it could not be possible.
So i went on the bridge.
Bridge is the part of the ship where we navigate.
The ship, all the navigation equipment, all the parts are there on the bridge where we navigate.
So I run on the bridge.
I saw all the missiles continuously, and the U.S. base is intercepting the drones and the missiles.
Whoa, you could see missiles from the bridge where you were standing?
Yes, yes, yes.
Then the debris are falling near to our vessels, and the vibration was...
Very high.
All my crew were panicked then after seeing that.
And I was shivering.
I was shivering and I was in the shock, what to do?
Captain, did you know what was happening?
Like, did you have any idea what was going on at this point?
Wow.
And the big bosses from the company.
They said that if you Captain, feel unsafe, you take out the vessel.
We are with you.
Captain Vishwakarma wanted to get his crew out of there and he wanted to stop loading the fuel onto the ship.
Because if they got hit, the cargo could turn his ship into a massive bomb.
Wow.
I mean, you were literally worried, it sounds like at this point, that your ship could blow up.
But when he told the terminal authorities that he wasn't going to keep loading, they pushed back.
They wanted him to take the cargo.
Meanwhile, Every 10 minutes, 10 drones, 10 missiles, they're firing.
He said the drones and the missiles kept coming.
Bigger than what happened before.
So he eventually finished loading the cargo.
It took hours.
And then got out.
And then after that, we have out from that place.
We go with a maximum speed.
And on the way, our GPS was not working.
There was no GPS signal.
There was nothing.
We did our navigation totally on the basic what we learn in our college.
Then we dropped anger near Abu Musa Island.
Near Dubai.
Near Dubai.
He anchored at the edge of the strait.
And as the days passed, the attacks kept coming.
Captain Vishwakarma said his crew watched as rockets hit an island about 10 miles away.
It was engulfed in flames.
We are seeing the flames.
We are seeing the smokes.
So we are just thinking if they miss anything, it will be fire to us also.
The constant noise and vibrations were stressful.
Captain Vishwakarma couldn't sleep.
He said his crew was having panic attacks, worried one of those missiles could hit the ship.
And they were turning to him for answers.
Hmm.
And were you in touch with any other captains?
Did you know how they were dealing with this?
So every day we are talking to each other.
Every day we share our feelings.
What are the things happening in your company and what is your crew saying?
So that we feel safe.
Like we have one captain on another ship and he's a 56 years old captain and he every day he is calling me captain, what is your company is doing?
Because my company is little bit established company and his company is not that much established.
So he asked me every day captain, what your company is saying when you are going to cross.
It sounds like he was trying to get some advice from you, like some guidance about what to do in this scenario.
Right, right, right.
Because nobody expected this thing will happen.
But after maybe 10 days, 15 days, our hope was like gone, that we are stranded and nobody will going to help.
Did you feel as though, I mean, and it sounds like you were very much out there on your own, alone?
Yeah, that is right.
That is right.
Because if something happened, definitely nobody is going to help us.
And Every day, my wife, my son and daughter, they call, Papa, when you are coming back home?
Every day they call.
But I don't have an answer to give.
What answer should I give?
How old are your children?
What did it feel like to not be able to tell them Papa's coming home soon?
My son is 10 years old and my daughter is 12 years old.
Then, yeah, I feel very bad about that.
But what to do?
We cannot go out from there.
We are in the, you can say that, in a jail.
You felt like you were in a jail, like you were imprisoned.
Yeah, yeah, that is right.
But I said, OK, I will come back safely.
Don't worry.
Every day I have to give these hopes to my family.
Captain Vishwakarma was at a loss.
He couldn't leave.
He'd heard of the Iranian Navy firing on ships that tried.
And plus, he'd heard reports that there were mines in the water.
He didn't know how to safely navigate out.
But then the Indian Navy got in touch with Captain Vishwakarma.
They said, wait for our call.
We'll tell you precisely how to leave.
He waited anxiously for days.
And then, on March 23rd, he got the call.
It's not clear how a deal was made but, as so many other ships sat stranded, Captain Vishwakarma was given a secret route, one he says he couldn't share with anyone.
I said, I'm ready.
Give me the plan where to pass and what is the route to be followed, where to go and where not to go.
Are you nervous, Captain?
I mean, I have to ask because we've heard about mines in the Strait.
We've heard about your experience with missiles.
I mean, are you worried?
Yeah, definitely.
We are worried.
We have got a chance of 90% you will die and 10% chance you will alive.
You thought there was a 90% chance you would die?
Yeah, and 10% maybe will pass.
Wow.
So I decided, okay, we'll take the 10% chance and we'll get out from this place.
He followed the coordinates to a spot near Oman when he saw the Indian Navy which had come to escort them out.
When the Indian Navy came near to us, we were very happy, our crew and everybody was very happy.
Everybody was shouting Indian Navy, giving the slogans to the Indian Navy as we are safely came out.
They were very, very happy.
There was a lot of joy.
Including me also.
Yeah, including me also.
Finally out.
Were you shouting too?
Were you cheering?
Yes, yes.
Yes, yes, yes, definitely.
Then our crew and everybody was coming and they are congratulating me.
Captain, you have done a good job.
You have taken us safely.
I said see, this is my duty, i have done it, which is a part of my job, so we have came out safely and we were very happy and we were really proud that okay, indian government has done something else to take out from that place.
We are finally passed and we are now safe.
Then uh, I was very happy when I saw my family and my son is dancing, when he saw me.
Okay, Papa has came and my daughter came and just hugged me tightly.
Papa and my wife too, same thing.
Captain Vishwakarma's story is rare.
Only a small number of ships have made it out of the strait since the war began.
About 1,500 ships remain stuck in the Persian Gulf, with about 20,000 seafarers on board them.
And even though much of the bombing has subsided after the ceasefire, new dangers have emerged.
Maritime unions have received hundreds of distress calls from ships who say they're running out of provisions like food, medicine and water.
Captain Vishwakarma worries a lot about that and about the fate of the thousands of seafarers that are still stranded.
Captain, a final question.
There are still many, many seafarers who are stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
What do you want the people who are listening to this interview to know on behalf of these crews?
Yeah, on behalf of all seafarers, the fear which we felt in the last 25 days.
They are also feeling the same thing.
And they are more than a month.
I don't think they have food or maybe water.
I don't know how they are surviving on there.
So you're worried about them?
Yeah.
Maybe they don't have food.
They don't have water to drink.
You can imagine the scenario.
I don't know how they are surviving.
After the break, we hear from one of those seafarers who's still stranded.
We'll be right back.
Hi.
Hello.
Can you see me?
Yes, I can see you.
So where are you right now?
This is my room.
Can I see it?
Of course.
This is my bed and this is my living room.
Okay.
You have a couch.
You have a desk.
Yeah.
What are the pictures that you have on your wall?
This is the sailing vessel.
We are taking from the...
The calendar, you know, the calendar picture.
Do you have a window?
Yeah, of course.
Oh, wow.
So you can see outside.
Yeah, I can see outside.
We can see the water, the sea.
Now we are drifting near Abu Dhabi.
Uh-huh.
The Persian Gulf has been the view outside Aung Tu Khan's window for more than three months.
He's far from home.
He's from Myanmar.
And his ship was delivering cars to the Gulf when the war first broke out.
My job on ship is I'm a safety officer to all crew.
Okay.
So I have to be strong, you know, for my crew.
And I have to think all the time. for their safety and also my safety.
That sounds like a big responsibility in this moment.
Yes.
So that's why we are staying inside the ship, not going outside, because some drones may be falling down to our ship.
He's constantly worried that the temporary ceasefire will break down and that the missile strikes could start again.
So as the safety officer, he's checking the news a lot.
But the news can be confusing.
So a more direct way to understand what's happening around him is by listening to the transmissions coming in over the ship's radio.
We open the radio all the time.
Which he does every day.
Every day.
He's listened in as the Iranian military has issued warnings.
Warning to all ships.
Do not approach the Strait of Hormuz without permission.
Some of the calls he's heard have been disturbing.
They were screaming and begging to be let out.
Yes.
He's heard crews from multiple ships who have pleaded to leave.
And he's heard ships being fired at for trying to leave.
Oh, my God.
You could hear the gunshots on the radio?
Yes.
Yes.
He's also heard a different kind of call for help.
Other ships also, they are now running out of food and also they need assistance.
We do not have provisions, not drinking water since last four days.
And we have two crew on board who's very critical and need medical assistance.
Some ships are reporting that they're running out of food.
Please, save our lives.
We are seamen.
We do not attack your country.
What does it feel like when you hear stuff like that?
How does that affect you?
When I heard that that they they talking like that, I feel very sorry because we cannot afford to go through that shit.
We cannot help.
It sounds like you felt a little bit powerless in that moment.
Yes, yes, correct.
Correct, correct.
Ong says his ship is doing okay for now.
They were running out of some food, but they managed to resupply at a nearby anchorage in the Gulf.
But the daily stress of being stranded in a war zone has been taking a toll.
It's like a house arrest.
He says everyone on the ship is on edge.
You know, sometimes we are angry.
Yeah.
Mentally, it's a little bit aggressive because we talk all the time.
But sometimes we are a little bit arguing.
You can see that they get angry more easily?
Yes, including me, including you yeah because uh, i feel like uh, my mind is stuck, you know, and i'm worried about my life and my crew, my ship.
I'm also want to go out.
We want to be free, Not only me, all the crew and all other ships also.
They feel like that, I think.
But we cannot get out.
So in our mind is hopeless now.
So as Ong waits in the situation he can't control, he's trying to find small ways to cope.
Sometimes before bed, he reads a book on positive thinking.
Your special?
And he's giving himself pep talks, telling himself not to give up.
And he's doing the same with the crew.
We were going out one day.
Don't worry, it's going to be fine, it's going to be okay.
They're all doing their best to try to distract themselves.
Sometimes they've played basketball in the empty cargo hold where the cars used to be.
When it's a crew member's birthday, do you have cake?
We do... They make a cake.
It's mostly chocolate because they like chocolate.
We celebrate and then we forgot where we are and then... The time is very, very nice.
And sometimes they sing.
My crews are Filipino.
So we sing together because my hobby is singing and listening to the music.
Yeah, that's my hobby.
What do you like to sing?
My favorite song in this moment is the Home.
Do you know Home?
The song named Home?
Is it called Home?
Yes.
Home.
Yes.
I don't know that song.
Yeah.
Can you sing it for me, the song, just a little bit so I can hear it?
Oh my God.
Please.
Are you sure?
Yeah, I'm sure.
I'm so sure.
Okay.
Okay, I'll try.
Another summer day has come and gone away.
Paris, I'm wrong.
I just want to go home.
Maybe surrounded by a million people, I travel alone.
But I want to go home.
I miss you, you know.
That's beautiful.
Thank you.
And when you think of your home, what do you think of?
What comes to your mind?
It was my mom and my dad.
And then they also worry about me.
So they also see the news every day.
My mom, it's everyday worship for me.
She's praying for you.
Yes, yes, she's praying for me every day.
So that's why I want to go through that home of safety.
Yeah.
Well, I hope you get home really soon.
Thank you so much.
Irish.
Since the beginning of the war in Iran, the UN says that at least 39 commercial vessels in the region have been hit by the ongoing attacks or, in some cases, would appear to be targeted strikes.
At least 11 seafarers and one shipyard worker have been killed, with several others injured and missing.
We'll be right back.
For the first time in nearly a month.
The Israeli military said that it had struck more than 135 targets that belonged to Hezbollah in a 24-hour period.
And Hezbollah continued its attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
The escalating conflict there threatens to further destabilize the talks to end the US-Israeli war in Iran.
Iran has insisted that any peace deal include Lebanon.
And Anthropic.
Once a lesser-known artificial intelligence company punctuated its stunning rise with eye-popping news on Thursday.
It said it had reached a valuation of 900 billion after its latest funding round, overtaking OpenAI to become the most valuable AI startup in the world.
It took roughly a decade for OpenAI to hit its most recent valuation of $730 billion.
Anthropic surpassed that in half the time.
Today's episode was produced by Caitlin O'Keefe and Lindsay Garrison.
It was edited by M.J.
Davis-Lynn.
Fact-checked by Susan Lee and Will Peischel.
And contains music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, and Pat McCusker.
Original music by Alicia Baitu.
Our theme music is by Wonderly.
This episode was engineered by Alyssa Moxley.
Special thanks to David Boddy, Peter Evis, Christiane Trebert and Jenny Gross, as well as Jatin Dua and Christy Peterson-Reed from the University of Michigan.
The Daily Studio support team is Maddie Maciello, Nick Pittman, Kyle Grandillo, Efim Shapiro and Samantha Winter.
Our radio team is Jodi Becker, Rowan Nemisto, Diane Wong, and Katherine Anderson.
Alexandra Lee Young is our Deputy Executive Producer.
Michael Benoit is our Deputy Editor.
Paige Cowett is the Editor of The Daily.
Ben Calhoun is our Executive Producer.
Special thanks to Paula Schumann, Larissa Anderson, Sam Dolnick and to the founding editor of the show, Lisa Tobin.
That's it for The Daily.
I'm Natalie Kittrow.
See you on Sunday.
