Trapped in the Strait of Hormuz
5/19/202621 min
Approximately 20,000 seafarers have been stranded, many since late February, because they can’t get through the Strait of Hormuz. WSJ’s Drew Hinshaw spoke with sailors trapped in the strait and reports on their worsening conditions. And WSJ’s Jared Malsin explains why it is so hard to get the cargo ships moving again. Jessica Mendoza hosts. Further Listening:
- How Iran's Regime Changed...for the Worse
- The Energy Shock Is Here
- How China Keeps Iran’s Oil Industry Afloat Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJessica Mendoza· Host0:00
[music] Before the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, about 130 cargo ships would pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day. But according to one shipping tracker, less than half of that went through the strait all last week. [music] The Iran war has all but closed off a vital waterway for oil exports from the Middle East.
Jared Malsin0:28
It is essential to the entire world economy, and it has been more or less shut down entirely.
Jessica Mendoza· Host0:34
The slowdown in the strait has already had serious economic consequences around the world, and getting ships moving again has become a major strategic focus for the US.
Speaker 2· Soundbite0:45
The pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is intensifying, as well as the rhetoric around it. Some 2,000 ships wait to transport a variety of essential goods around the world.
Jessica Mendoza· Host0:58
But also at stake are the fates of the sailors and crew trapped on those ships right now.
Drew Hinshaw1:06
There are 20,000 seafarers stuck on cargo ships and oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
Jessica Mendoza· Host1:13
Our colleague, Drew Hinshaw, has been talking to some of those sailors for weeks.
Drew Hinshaw1:18
Many of these are low-wage workers from some of the world's poorer countries, countries that have little, if anything, to do with this conflict. They've kind of become collateral damage in this standoff.