The crew is in limbo amid conflicting statements from Iran and the US regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Raman Kapoor has told RT
The captain of one of the civilian vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf has told RT in an exclusive interview that his crew has been languishing in uncertainty for over a month as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to navigation.
Around 25% of the world’s seaborne oil trade passed through the strategically important waterway before the start of the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran in late February, according to the International Energy Agency.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy would “begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz” following the failed talks with Iranian representatives in Islamabad. The US Department of War later clarified that the measure would apply to all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, starting from April 13.
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Speaking exclusively to RT on Tuesday, Captain Raman Kapoor said that his vessel transporting oil has been “stranded here inside the Persian Gulf ever since the war started.”
The captain, who declined to disclose his ship’s name and exact location due to security concerns, described to RT how his crew has been suffering from anxiety for weeks, “thinking about their family.”
All this time the crew has been awaiting notification from the company that operates the vessel as to “when to move out from here, where to move out,” he explained.
“The uncertainty is really killing all of us,” the captain said, adding that the crew is feeling “helpless.”
Kapoor told RT that the situation is further compounded by the fact that “two different entities [Iran and the US] are blocking” the strait, and “keep changing the statements” as to the extent of the blockade.
“Please listen to our voice – we are just seafarers, we are not soldiers… we keep the world moving,” Kapoor added in an emotional entreaty to all parties to the conflict.
“We pray that… good sense will prevail,” the captain concluded.
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