Skip to main content

‘Every day I can see missiles, hear explosions,’ says sailor stuck in Gulf amid Iran war

“I am worried,” a sailor stuck in the Gulf told AFP on Friday, his vessel unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked for nearly two weeks after US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

“Every day on the ship, I can see missile launches and hear explosions, making me feel like I was in danger,” said Wang Shang, 32.

Wang, a Chinese national from the landlocked central province of Henan, works on a foreign ship used to transport liquefied petroleum gas sourced from the energy-rich region.

Since navigation in and out of the Gulf essentially came to a halt, Wang has shared his experiences by posting videos on Douyin, the Chinese domestic version of TikTok.

“We cannot leave at present,” he said. “If we wanted to depart now, it would be impossible.”

In one video from February 28 — the day that the United States and Israel launched the war — the ship’s receiver is shown as the strait is declared shut by Iranian authorities.

“Attention all ships, this is Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. For your information, the Strait of Hormuz from now on is … every navigating from the Strait of Hormuz is banned from now on,” a stern voice is heard warning.

AFP is not disclosing the name of Wang’s ship at his request.

‘Worried’

However, vessel tracking data matches his description of the location in the waters roughly 30 nautical miles north of Dubai.

“I am worried because yesterday a ship’s engine room was struck by an Iranian drone just two nautical miles away from my vessel, that’s approximately 3,600 metres, which is very close,” Wang said.

AFP was not able to independently verify the cause of the incident.

Wang says the ship was struck before sunrise on Thursday.

He shot a video of the vessel when it became light, with black smoke still billowing from one side.

Wang told AFP that the stricken ship is the Source Blessing, a Liberian-flagged container vessel with a black hull.

German shipowners Hapag-Lloyd said on Thursday that the Source Blessing caught fire after being “hit with shrapnel” overnight, adding that no one was injured.

A company spokesman told AFP that “we don’t know where (the debris) came from, whether it was a rocket or a drone” or other type of munition.

Wang said he doesn’t expect the situation to improve soon.

He said he has heard of crew members on other vessels receiving double pay during the crisis.

“But on our ship, I can’t even confirm if we’ll get the war bonus,” he said.

“Even if we do, I’ve heard it’s only $700, which is very low … I feel the risks I’m taking aren’t commensurate with the income I’m receiving.”



from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/Ztq0xoW
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...
1 comment
Read more

In pictures: Grief in Gaza and the loss of a child

In the photo, the woman cradles a child in her arms, balanced on her knee. It is an image that resonates, as ancient as human history. But in a grim inversion of the familiar, we see that the child she holds close is a corpse, wrapped in a shroud. It is a quiet moment of intense grief. The woman wears a headscarf and her head is bowed. We cannot see who she is nor can we learn anything about the child — not even if it is a boy or girl. Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embraces the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. The child is one of many who have lost their lives on both sides in the Israel-Hamas war. Most have names we will never know, whose deaths will spark a lifetime of grief for family members we will never meet. In the 21st century, an average of almost 20 children a day have been killed or maimed in wars around the world, according to Unicef. Reuter...
Post a Comment
Read more