Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

I can finally play with other people.

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I have a J for 10 points. I'm guessing Tenga is not a word, let's see. Tenga is a word. Oh! As an English as a second language speaker, I like to learn new words.

Crossplay, the first two-player word game from New York Times Games. Download it for free today. From the New York Times, I'm Natalie Ketroff. 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 sea fairs 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, I didn't hear. 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 Viren, the Vishwakarma. I'm sailing on LPG Tengas since last five years, and before I was captain on all the chemical ships, I started my career in 2000, so now it's only 26 years in the shipping. 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 Katerna ship, we have cargo ships, we have crude oil, we have vegetables, oil ships, we have chemical tankers. And all ships are carrying different things. We are taking the gas, we are taking the patrols, we are taking the gasoline.

And they are taking from one place, one other 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.

Yeah, because it's a good job and a prestigious job. Yeah. We can move the world economy.

“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 the New York on 24th of December. So our job is to make sure that it will reach on 24th of December, not on 25th or 26th. So our importance in the world economy is if the sea fader 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 has 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 US base is intercepting the drones and the missiles.

Wow, you can see the missiles from the bridge where you were standing. Yes, yes. And the debris are falling and near to our vessels and the vibration was very high. All my crew were panic then after seeing that. And I was shooting and I was in the shock, but to do.

Did you have any idea what was going on at this point?

“No, when they started, we are too less. Why it is happening?”

Why is the reason behind that? Where it is coming and where it is going? We don't know actually. Wow. So after that, I informed my company. And the big bosses from the company, they said that if you captain feel unsafe, you take out the vessel.

We are with you. Hmm. 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. We have almost 6,000, 7,000 of metric ton of propane butane will turn the ship.

So if support something is fall on our ship, it will be a bigger disaster. Wow. I mean, you were literally worried it sounds like at this point that your ship could blow up. Yeah. But when he told the terminal authorities that he wasn't going to keep loading, they pushed back.

Can you take the cargo?

They wanted him to take the cargo.

See, if something happened, then it will wipe out the full terminal everything. Meanwhile, every 10 minutes, 10 runs, 10 missiles they are firing.

“He said the drones and the missiles kept coming.”

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 learned in our college. Then we dropped anger. He had a boom of silence.

Near Dubai. Near Dubai. He anchored at the edge of the street.

And as the days passed, the attacks kept coming.

The missiles are going. 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 fired 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.

If they feel unsafe, they call me captains what to do. But we cannot do much about that. 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 in what are the things happening in your company. And what is your crew saying? So that we feel safe. Like we have one captain in 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 are your companies 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. Because nobody is expected. This thing will be happened. But after maybe 10 days, 15 days.

Our hope was like going that we are extended. And nobody will go into hell. Did you feel as though women in it sounds like you were very much out there. Out there on your own? Alone?

Yeah, that is right. That is right. Because if something happens, definitely nobody is going to help us. And everyday my wife, my son and daughter. They call papa when you are coming back home.

Everyday they call. But I don't have answer to give. What answer to us, thank you. How old are your children? What did it feel like to not be able to tell them?

Papa is coming home soon. My son is a 10 years old and my daughter is a 12 years old. And yeah, I feel very bad about that. But what to do? We cannot go out from there.

We are in there. 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, okay, I will come back. Say, if you don't worry, today I will give this hope to my family. [music] Captain Vishwakarma was at a loss. He couldn't leave.

He heard of the Iranian Navy firing on ships that tried. And plus, he 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.

We'll tell you precisely how to leave.

He waited anxiously for days. And then on March 23rd. We got the call from the Naval Command. 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 to give you the plan. Where to pass and what has the route to we follow? 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 straight. We've heard about your experience with missiles. I mean, are you worried? Yeah, definitely. We have worried.

We have got a chance of 90 percent.

You will die and 10 percent charge. You will ally. You thought there was a 90 percent chance you would die. Yeah, and 10 percent, maybe we'll pass. Wow.

So I decided we'll take the 10 percent chance. And we'll get out from this space.

“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, we had to as we are very happy. Our crew and everybody was very happy. Everybody was shouting in the Navy, giving the slogans to the Indian Navy. Yes, 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, definitely. Then our crew and everybody was coming, and they are congratulating me. Captain, you've done good job. You've taken us safely.

I said, see, this is my duty. I've 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 as to take out from that place.

We are finally passed, and we are now safe.

Then I was very happy when this, I saw my family. And my son is dancing, I've any saw me. I don't get my parents came. My daughter came and just hug me tightly. Popped my wife to the same thing.

Captain Vishwakarma's story is rare. Only a small number of ships have made it out of the streets since the war began. About 1500 ships remained stuck in the Persian Gulf, with about 20,000 sea fares 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 are running out of provisions, like food, medicine, and water. Captain Vishwakarma worries a lot about that. And about the fate of the thousands of sea fares, they are still stranded.

Captain, a final question, there are still many, many sea fares who are stranded in the state of Wormos. What do you want the people who are listening to this interview to know on behalf of these crews? Yeah, on the behalf of all sea fares.

The fear which we felt in last to 25 days, they are also feeling the same thing. And they are more than a month. I don't think they have a food or maybe the water. I don't know how they are surviving on their. So you're worried about them?

Yeah, maybe they don't have foods. 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 sea fares who still stranded.

We'll be right back. I'm Brian Rosenthor. I'm an investigative reporter at the New York Times. My dad is a scientist. My career has been devoted to scientific teaching and research.

I remember growing up. I didn't fully understand what he was doing every day. But now that I work as an investigative journalist, I do understand. So you have to start with facts. From those facts, hypothesis appears.

And then you work on trying to test that I foster. I do the same thing obtaining documents, crunching the data, and I've talked to as many people as possible to get to the bottom of the story.

The best scientists are able to do that deep work because they receive funding from their university or from the government.

“We as journalists depend on funding from subscribers.”

You can support that type of work by subscribing to the New York Times. Hi. Hi. Hello. Can you see?

Hello. Yes, I can see you. So where are you right now? This is my room. Can I see it?

Of course. Is it my plan? Is this my living room? Okay. Do you have a couch?

Do 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 calendar, you know, the calendar picture.

Do you have a window? Yeah, of course. Oh, wow. So you can see outside. Yeah.

You can see outside. We can see the water. The sea. Now we are drifting. Near a good oven.

Uh-huh. The home was straight. It's about 150 nautical miles far away. Everybody stuck in here. Oh, ships are waiting in the button.

The Persian Gulf has been the view outside on two cons window for more than three months. He's far from home. He's from Myanmar.

And the 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 a strong, you know, of my crew. And I have to think all the time for this 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.”

No 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 review all the time. Which he does every day. Every day. He's listened in as the Iranian military has issued warnings. Some of the calls he's heard have been disturbing.

Once they stopped yelling at that Iranian Navy, we want to go out open the home. They told you like that. They were screaming and begging to be let out. Yes. He's heard crews from multiple ships who have pleaded to leave.

He's heard crews from multiple ships who have pleaded to leave. One month ago, some of the ships going through the street hall moats. They shot. 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 ship 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 to crew on board who is very critical and need medical assistance.

Some ships are reporting that they're running out of food. Any ship nearby, our position, we request you to provide us provision and water and we have a crew on board for medical assistance. Please, save our life. We are saving. We don't attack your country. We don't attack your buses. Over.

What does it feel like when you hear stuff like that? How does that affect you? When I heard that they talking like that, I feel very sorry because we cannot afford to go through that ship. We cannot help. It sounds like you felt a little bit powerless in that moment.

Yes, yes, correct, correct.

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 mentally, it's a little 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. Yeah, because I feel like 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 Aung 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. That note name is your special.

Your special? Yeah, your special.

And he's giving himself pep talks, telling himself not to give up.

All the time, I talk it to myself. Okay, one day, I'm going out that the whole district. One day, one day, one day, I'm going out. I'm going out the whole most one day. And he's doing the same with the crew.

I talk to them. It's going to be okay. And we will go 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.

They're clearly abackable. We play the basketball in the cargo pool. Sometimes they play basketball. And the empty cargo hold where the cars used to be. Sometimes we celebrate the party.

“When it's a crew members 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 crew's out for the piano. So we sing together because my hobby is to get in there.

Listen to the music. Yeah, that's my hobby. What do you like to sing? My favorite song. And this moment is the home.

Do you know home? The sound ain't home. Is it called home? Like yes. Home.

Yes. I don't know that song. Yeah. Can you sing it for me? This song just a little bit so I can hear it.

I'm fine. I'm fine. Yeah. I'm sure. I'm so sure.

I'm okay. Okay. Okay. I try. And now the summer day has come.

I'm going away. I'm very, very strong. I just want to go home. Mmm. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ Yeah. That's beautiful.

Oh, 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 every day worshiped 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”

or straight and save the end. Yeah. ♪ Well, I hope you get home really soon. Thank you so much.

I wish. ♪ 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.

with several others injured and missing. ♪ We'll be right back.

“Here's what else you need to know today.”

Israel widened its offensive in Lebanon on Thursday,

striking the capital, Beirut, 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 U.S. 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 open AI to become the most valuable AI start-up in the world. It took roughly a decade for open AI to hit its most recent valuation of $730 billion. Anthropics surpassed that in half the time.

♪ Today's episode was produced by Caitlin O'Keefe and Lindsey Garrison. It was edited by MJ Davis-Lin.

“Fact-checked by Susan Lee and Will Paishal.”

It contains music by Mary Elizano, Dan Powell, and Pat McCuscher.

Original music by Eliscia but YouTube. Our theme music is by Wanderley. This episode was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Special thanks to David Baudi, Peter Evis, Christian Trebert, and Jenny Gross, as well as Johnson Dua and Christy Peterson Reed from the University of Michigan.

The daily studio support team is Maddie Masielo, Nick Pippman, Kyle Grendillo, Ephem Shapiro, and Samantha Winter. Our radio team is Jodi Becker, Rowan Nemisto, Diane Wong, and Catherine 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 Shuman, Larissa Anderson, Sam Dolmick, and to the founding editor of the show, Lisa Tobin. That's it for the daily.

I'm Natalie Ketroer. See you on Sunday. [Music] I'm Gilbert Cruz. This week on the Book Review podcast, our monthly book club meets to talk

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