Hong Kong ship crews stranded in Strait of Hormuz ‘safe and offered counselling’

Industry representative says the stranded crew face little immediate safety risk, though months at sea have affected them mentally and physically

Crew members aboard about 80 Hong Kong-owned ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for five months have enough supplies and access to video counselling, an industry representative said, adding that the seafarers face little immediate danger despite the stand-off.

Kenneth Lam Sze-kin, deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, said on Wednesday that the roughly 1,600 crew members would remain safe on ships owned by Hong Kong companies as long as shipowners were willing to pay for supplies and electricity on board.

“For personal safety, the threat is small. In situations like this, as long as you are willing to spend, supplies shouldn’t be a problem,” Lam said on a radio programme.

“But they are affected mentally and physically, because they cannot disembark and may worry about their safety.”

Lam, founder and CEO of SeaKapital Limited, said around 70 to 80 vessels owned by members of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association remained stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, mainly in the northern part of the waterway, and that the vessels would try to keep clear of Iran, which borders the northern coast.

To his knowledge, there were no Hongkongers among the crew, who are mostly mainland Chinese, Filipinos, Indians and Eastern Europeans.

“From the point of view of Hong Kong shipowners, it does not matter whether they are Hongkongers or not. Whatever their nationality, they are crew members on our ships and we will treat them all equally,” Lam said.