'We were attacked': Hormuz sailors in perilous waters

“We were attacked,” wrote a sailor in the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway blocked for weeks since US-Israeli strikes triggered a war with Iran, in a group chat seen by AFP on Friday.

The conversations in Chinese on the messaging app WeChat — provided by a worker whose ship has been stuck in the Gulf since the conflict started — paint a vivid picture of the perils now facing sailors there, who hail from around the world.

The virtual paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane from the oil-rich Gulf, has shaken global markets, raising fears of a prolonged spike in energy costs.

The sailor posted that he was stuck on the “Ocean Pretty”, a bulk carrier sailing under a Barbadian flag that he said was hit by gunfire and rocket launcher attacks on Thursday while trying to pass through the strait.

AFP could not verify the sailor’s report that the ship was attacked.

“Fortunately, no crew members were injured,” the sailor wrote, whose identity was not revealed in the private group.

Other sailors in the conversation chimed in, one writing: “You guys are really stubborn”.

“Crossing the seas… it’s just lucky that no one was hurt,” another posted.

“We’re just hard-headed,” the original sailor replied.

The messages convey a sense of camaraderie in the international logistics network that fuels the modern economy.

The damaged ship is now “stuck” in waters near the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, “waiting to be inspected”, he posted.

The MarineTraffic ship tracking site showed the ship’s position off Bandar Abbas on Friday.

“We didn’t receive any warning at all” about the purported attack, the sailor said.

– ‘Don’t set sail’ –

As the Middle East war approaches its fourth week, US President Donald Trump and other top officials in his administration are struggling to explain how the predicament will end.

“Any news on when the strait will reopen?” a sailor in the WeChat group asked.

“What kind of question is that?” snapped another.

“No one can answer.”

Of the small trickle of ships that have passed through the strait in recent days, 10 percent are Chinese-owned or flagged, said Bridget Diakun, an analyst at data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

The sailor on the Barbadian-flagged vessel wrote that they also had three Chinese flags raised while attempting to pass through the strait.

“Don’t believe the ‘Wu Jing holding a national flag’ thing,” he wrote, referring to a scene from a 2017 film in which the actor safely guides an evacuating truck through a war zone by raising a Chinese flag.

“If it’s not absolutely safe, don’t set sail,” another wrote.

Elsewhere in the conversation, sailors weigh the odds, motivated by potential bonuses received from their companies if successful.

“If the company gives you 500,000, would you go?” asked one, without specifying the currency.

“Brother, you need to stay alive to spend that money,” another replied.

“Anyone stubborn enough to rush through this has issues,” said another.