India is among the world's largest suppliers of merchant sailors, with more than 320,000 Indian seafarers employed in global merchant shipping during 2025, according to the Shipping Ministry. Since the conflict began, thousands of Indian sailors have departed the Gulf region, including more than 3,600 who received assistance from the ministry. However, many now face the difficult choice of returning to a region they fear in order to support their families.
Thirty-one-year-old Sitaram Tandel, a resident of a small fishing village in Gujarat, experienced the dangers of the conflict firsthand while serving aboard a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. In March, another vessel operated by the same company, the crude oil tanker Safesea Vishnu, came under attack, resulting in the death of an Indian crew member. Only weeks later, Tandel's own vessel was struck.
"Our luck ran out," Tandel said. "It was early morning, and I was preparing for my shift when our vessel was hit."
Although every crew member survived without physical injuries, 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.
Tandel added that while his family was relieved to see him return safely, he remains uncertain about his future.
"I don't know what lies next. The attack has left me shaken and too scared to go back to the Gulf, but I also have a family to feed," he said.
The conflict intensified after the initial United States-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, following which Tehran effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz. Ships navigating the surrounding waters faced the constant threat of becoming military targets.
In June, an American strike on a Palau-flagged vessel off the coast of Oman killed three Indian sailors. Separate attacks on two additional vessels carrying predominantly Indian crews left dozens more requiring rescue operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi later raised the issue with United States President Donald Trump, urging him to ensure the safety of civilian mariners operating in the conflict zone.
For those still working at sea, passing through the Strait of Hormuz required extraordinary courage.
Forty-five-year-old Ratheesan Kuttiyan from Kerala joined a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel in March while awaiting departure from the Gulf.
"The previous crew refused to cross," Kuttiyan said. "We tried hard to cross, but the fighting was too intense, and another vessel from the company was attacked."
As the security situation gradually improved, crew members were asked to sign documents confirming their willingness to continue the voyage through the high-risk area.
"Finally, in the dead of the night we sailed through the danger zone," Kuttiyan said during a telephone conversation from the vessel.
Although he remains willing to return to the Gulf in the future, Kuttiyan said that decision depends entirely on improved security conditions.
"I will go back if the risk goes down," he said. "I trust my company to take the right call."
Another Kerala resident, forty-nine-year-old Haridas Puthiyakodi, was serving aboard a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship bound for the Strait of Hormuz when the vessel ahead came under attack. His ship immediately turned back to Abu Dhabi.
"I didn't tell my wife I was in the war zone," Puthiyakodi said after returning to India.
"Now that she knows finally, she says I should never go to the Gulf."
Despite his family's fears, he acknowledged the unavoidable realities of his profession.
"If I had my way, I wouldn't either, but then, I know as a seafarer, you have to sail everywhere," he said.
Veteran seafarer Tanel Hirenkumar Praveenbhai, 42, has spent more than two decades working at sea and has crossed the Strait of Hormuz numerous times while transporting crude oil from the Gulf to China and Singapore. However, the recent conflict has permanently altered his perspective.
Praveenbhai was among thousands of Indians and an estimated 20,000 seafarers stranded because of the blockade after joining a Panama-flagged oil tanker in Dubai in February.
"Two days before we were about to head to Singapore, the war broke out," he recalled.
"A helicopter crashed just 10 to 15 metres from our vessel, and several missiles also passed at a short distance."
The crew was instructed to remain anchored and was unable to move for nearly three months.
"Of course we were scared, but there was nothing we could do," he said.
Operations resumed only after the ceasefire, allowing the vessel to depart on May 29 through Dubai, where he completed his assignment.
"I am never going back to Hormuz again," Praveenbhai said. "No money is worth more than my life."
The experiences of Indian seafarers underscore the severe human cost of the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. While many have returned home safely, the psychological trauma, continued security threats, and economic pressures leave countless sailors confronting an uncertain future as one of the world's most critical maritime routes remains vulnerable to renewed instability.
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