Crew members aboard about 80 Hong Kong-owned ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for five months have enough supplies and access to video counselling, an industry representative has said, adding that the seafarers face little immediate danger despite the stand-off.
Kenneth Lam Sze-kin, deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, said on Wednesday that the roughly 1,600 crew members would remain safe as long as shipowners were willing to pay for supplies and electricity on board.
“Regarding personal safety, the threat is small. In situations like this, as long as you are willing to spend, supplies shouldn’t be a problem,” Lam said on a radio programme.
“But they are affected mentally and physically, because they cannot disembark and are likely to be worried about their safety.”
Lam, who is also the founder and CEO of ship-owning and leasing company SeaKapital, said around 70 to 80 vessels owned by association members remained stranded in the Strait of Hormuz – mainly in the northern part of the waterway – and that they were trying to keep clear of Iran, which borders the northern shore.
To his knowledge, there were no Hongkongers among the crew, who are mostly from mainland China, the Philippines, India, and Eastern Europe.
