More than 6,000 waiting for all-clear but determined not to sail until it is safeMany Philippine sailors are still waiting for the green light to pass through the now-deadly shipping lane. A series of Iranian strikes have effectively closed the strait, which carries 20% of world oil and gas supplies, plunging the global energy economy into crisis. “Those whose contracts are about to end… they really want to go home,” he said of his fellow sailors. Judy Domingo, president of the 50,000-strong United Filipino Seafarers union, told AFP she had taken hundreds of calls from concerned sailors bottled up in the strait, with food supplies one of the immediate concerns. “Let’s just pray this US-Iran war ends soon so every ship trapped here is able to get out safe.”

Source: Bangkok Post March 12, 2026 10:41 UTC