Strait of Hormuz tanker risks are rising as the regional war disrupts commercial shipping and leaves crews working under the constant threat of attack, delay and isolation.
Iraqi tanker captain Rahman Al-Jubouri, a veteran mariner who continues to sail despite mounting dangers near one of the world’s most important maritime corridors. His story offers a human view of a crisis that is often discussed only in terms of geopolitics, oil markets and military escalation.
The Washington Post reported that Al-Jubouri is currently aboard the Palau-flagged oil tanker Sea Moon, sailing from the Gulf of Aden toward the Gulf of Oman before unloading oil at Ras Isa port in Yemen. Although the vessel is not passing directly through the Strait of Hormuz, it is operating so close that it remains exposed to the fallout of the conflict.
The war has disrupted shipping routes, delayed voyages and increased the risk of attack on commercial vessels. Al-Jubouri described the danger in stark language, saying his crew does not know when it might be bombed and that they are “sailing over a ball of fire.”
This is not the first conflict zone Al-Jubouri has navigated. He has worked through the Iran-Iraq War, the 1991 Gulf War and decades of regional instability. That experience has helped him adapt, but it has not removed the danger.
Last year, while docked at a Yemeni port, his tanker came under bombardment. He said he cut the ropes, prepared the engines and moved the ship out of port at personal risk to protect both the crew and the vessel. Shrapnel struck the tanker and caused minor damage, though no one was injured.
Fear and Fatigue Are Wearing Down Crews
The crisis has affected more than vessel schedules. It has also placed a heavy psychological strain on the people working at sea. Al-Jubouri said his crew has fallen from 27 sailors to 17 because some could no longer cope with the fear. He has also been away from his family for four months.
Food and bottled water remain available, and internet access allows some communication with loved ones. Even so, the emotional burden of long separation and wartime uncertainty continues to grow.
Al-Jubouri’s voyage within a wider confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters. Tankers have been delayed, rerouted or stranded as military threats and naval operations intensify. It also points to the seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship by US forces as another sign of how far the standoff has spread.
