by Punit Oza, President of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
Punit Oza, the President of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, warns that seafarers are risking their lives in conflict zones yet remain largely invisible, calling for consistent duty of care, greater recognition, and global “essential worker” status for those who keep global trade moving.
Seafarers deserve treatment commensurate with their contribution. Nothing less, nothing more. And yet, that is precisely what they are not getting.
As I follow the torrent of commentary surrounding the conflict in the Middle East, something strikes me, something I suspect only an industry insider would notice. Every commentator, across every platform, is rightly condemning civilian casualties. But not one of them has uttered a single word about seafarers being killed in this same conflict.
The argument made for civilians is simple: they did not sign up for this war. Neither did the seafarers. They are civilians too.
The world is outraged about goods and trade disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But the thousands of seafarers trapped in that war zone? Silence. These are the very people whose courage and labour will eventually put those goods on your shelves.
What makes this situation deeply concerning is the perception of inconsistency in how risk is being managed. In parts of the Middle East, some organisations have taken precautionary steps such as enabling remote work or allowing staff to temporarily relocate. particularly in response to school calendar adjustments and broader safety considerations. However, such measures are not widespread and vary significantly across companies.
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Not all shipowners or managers are approaching the situation in the same way. That said, the industry must reflect carefully on how risks are assessed and communicated, especially when seafarers continue to operate in high-risk zones. The question is not about drawing comparisons, but about ensuring that the duty of care remains consistent, visible, and equitable across both shore-based and sea-based personnel.
As a commercial maritime professional, I can tell you something that too few people onshore appreciate: fixing a great deal is not the same as getting money in the bank. The execution, the actual act of moving cargo from port to port, happens on board, carried out by seafarers. They are not contractors at the edge of the business. They are the business. So why are they treated as expendable while their onshore colleagues are treated as irreplaceable?
This has to change. And the change must happen at three levels.
Personally, make it a habit. When you meet a seafarer, acknowledge them. Thank them. They carry the weight of global trade on their shoulders; they deserve to know that someone notices.
Corporately, companies must close the gap between how they treat their shore staff and how they treat their crew. In times like these, that gap should not just close; it should reverse. Seafarers in harm’s way deserve more support, not less.
Industry-wide, we must lobby, loudly and persistently, for “essential worker” status for seafarers globally. We must push their stories beyond maritime media and into every mainstream platform. The industry’s contribution to the world is immense. Its heroes deserve superhero recognition.
There is a tradition in many countries of restaurants honouring military personnel with special privileges, a meal, a gesture, a moment of public gratitude. Seafarers deserve the same. They are, in every meaningful sense, our peacetime warriors.
We owe it to them. The supermen and superwomen keeping the world moving deserve to be seen, protected and celebrated, not sailed silently into someone else’s war.
Punit Oza is the current President of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, UK and the founder and director of Maritime NXT, driving the “Next” in Maritime through training, teaching, mentoring, & consulting. He has over three decades of experience in the Maritime Industry, holding senior positions in Precious Shipping, Noble Group and Torvald Klaveness.
