As instability in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts shipping, public discussion tends to focus on fuel prices and supplies. Less attention is paid to the people working on the ships.
Authors
- Patricia Kennedy
Lecturer in Social Policy, University College Cork
- Anita Rayegani
PhD Candidate in Public International Law, University of Hamburg
- Eka Siradze
Associate Professor of International Law, Faculty of Law, Tbilisi State University
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) says more than 20,000 seafarers in the region have been affected, including people stranded on vessels unable to leave.
Their work supports much of everyday life. The global merchant fleet, meaning ships carrying commercial cargo, is staffed by nearly 1.9 million seafarers , while around 80% of international trade in goods travels by sea . Supply chains therefore depend partly on the wellbeing of this international workforce.
The danger has immediate human consequences. The IMO prepared a plan to evacuate about 6,000 seafarers and reported that an estimated 2,900 had left before it was paused. Its updated incident list records seafarers killed, injured or missing .
These figures document exposure and physical harm, but not the mental health effects on crews caught in the disruption. Existing research shows why prolonged danger and uncertainty are concerning. A systematic review of 63 studies associated poorer mental health among maritime workers with feeling unsafe, long or irregular hours, poor sleep, weak support, uncertain schedules and extended periods at sea.
Crew members may spend months living at their workplace , separated from family and sharing confined spaces. Ships operate around the clock, and rotating watches can disrupt sleep and the circadian rhythm , the body’s internal clock.
Research has linked these conditions to stress, depressive symptoms and burnout . The World Health Organization describes burnout as a work-related condition involving exhaustion, growing detachment or cynicism, and reduced effectiveness.
Conflict can intensify several pressures at once. In a survey of 319 seafarers who had sailed in the Black Sea conflict zone during the war in Ukraine , more than 70% reported that their safety had been at risk, 95% experienced increased stress or anxiety at least once, and almost 80% felt their mental health had been compromised. The study also identified sleep loss and reduced contact with family. More broadly, limited control over work, uncertain schedules and long periods at sea have been associated with poorer mental health and wellbeing .
Seafarers’ ability to refuse a hazardous route can depend on the specific agreement covering their vessel. On March 5, 2026, the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group designated the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman a “Warlike Operations Area”. Seafarers on covered vessels gained enhanced pay, doubled compensation for death or disability, and the right to refuse to enter the area and return home at the company’s expense, with compensation equal to two-month’s basic wage.
The seafarers’ union Nautilus , meanwhile, secured double pay for seafarers on Dutch-flagged vessels. But such protections reach only those the agreement covers.
Pay belongs in this wider discussion of wellbeing. A review of 24 studies linked an imbalance between workers’ effort and rewards to burnout. Higher pay, family benefits and training opportunities were associated with greater job satisfaction. Because the studies examined workers at only one point in time, they cannot show that low or unequal pay directly causes mental illness.
International labour rules offer minimum protections. The Maritime Labour Convention , in force since 2013, covers employment terms, accommodation, healthcare and social protection. Its binding wage standard requires wages to be paid at least monthly, with an account of what is owed and paid . A separate, non-binding guideline supports equal pay for work of equal value on the same ship without discrimination, but this is not a universally enforceable rule.
Large differences within the same crew remain possible. Research aboard merchant ships found that some seafarers had permanent contracts, higher monthly pay and shorter tours, while colleagues doing the same tasks earned less on temporary contracts and stayed at sea longer. Nationality and residence can determine which labour market and agreement applies.
In two linked decisions in August 2025, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights found that two shipowners had unlawfully discriminated against Filipino and Indonesian seafarers by paying them substantially less than European colleagues doing comparable work. One European night cook earned at least twice as much as an Indonesian colleague. In the Filipino case, the Institute accepted that the difference contributed to a sense of class division on board.
The Institute is an official equality body rather than a court, and its decisions are non-binding. Even so, the cases show how unequal pay can reinforce status divisions among people living and working together under the same conditions.
Protecting seafarers’ mental health requires action throughout their working lives. Employers should provide safe staffing and adequate rest, reliable contact with home, access to medical and psychological care, supportive management and a genuine right to leave dangerous areas. Clear wage bands and independent ways to challenge discriminatory pay would strengthen these protections. Overtime and hazard pay should reflect the work and risk involved, regardless of nationality or residence.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is an immediate test of seafarer welfare. Longer-term preparedness will depend on whether governments and the shipping industry treat mental health, physical safety and fair employment as connected responsibilities before workers reach a crisis point.
