Indian sailors’ SOS: ‘Company asking us to risk lives, cross Strait of Hormuz’

Sailors aboard the AM Pioneer, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, have sent out an SOS video alleging that their employer is pressuring them to transit the Strait of Hormuz despite the inherent security risks and danger to their lives. The vessel has been operated by Alphard Maritime Private Limited, a Mumbai-based company, which is flagged in the Marshall Islands.

In the video, posted on X by the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), the vessel's master, Anil Raj, stated that the company had informed them that they must cross the Hormuz Strait in order to reach Indian waters, where the Hormuz Strait is open for all ships to navigate safely. According to Mr. Raj, the company has been pushing to force the crew through Hormuz and into Fujairah.

The crew members appear to have refused the company's demands, stating that they will not put their lives in danger and are unwilling to sail in dark conditions with communications switched off. They have demanded that their lives be put first and that they will not cross the Strait of Hormuz until it is deemed safe.

The ship's second engineer also appeared in the video, agreeing that they would only pass through the strait if it was safe to do so. The FSUI association has expressed concern over the company's actions, stating that they are pressuring the Master to force the 16 Indian crew members to transit the high-risk Hormuz Strait, despite their refusal to do so.