Hong Kong ship crews stranded in Strait of Hormuz ‘safe and offered counselling’
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 has 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…
Around 1,600 Hong Kong crew members, stranded aboard approximately 80 ships in the Strait of Hormuz since May, are safe and receiving supplies and video counselling, according to Kenneth Lam Sze-kin, deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association. The seafarers, mostly from mainland China, the Philippines, India, and Eastern Europe, face minimal immediate danger.
Although they are impacted mentally and physically by their prolonged confinement, they remain engaged in maintenance work and are provided with electricity, food, and water. Lam emphasized that as long as shipowners are willing to cover the costs, supplies should not pose a problem. The situation, which stems from the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, has disrupted global shipping and affected around 6,000 seafarers who have been stranded for months.
Despite the challenges, Lam stated that the Hong Kong shipping industry can adapt to the changes, with costs generally ranging between $20,000 and $30,000 per day per stranded vessel.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
