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.

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........

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