First-Hand Account: Master Describes Chaos and Unpreparedness as Hormuz Became a War Zone

## Master Under Fire: A Captain's Account of the Hormuz Crisis A senior merchant mariner has broken his silence on one of the most harrowing episodes in recent commercial shipping history, offering a detailed and deeply personal account of navigating a vessel through an active war zone in the Strait of Hormuz — and finding the industry dangerously ill-equipped to cope. Captain Mohit Kohli, writing via Splash247, recounts the terrifying reality of commanding a merchant ship as missiles and drones turned one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints into a battlefield. His testimony paints a picture not only of physical danger, but of institutional failure — a maritime industry that trains its officers for storms, mechanical casualties and regulatory non-compliance, but leaves them profoundly unprepared for the realities of modern hybrid warfare at sea. 'We as mariners are trained to expect storms, operational incidents and accidents, injuries, non-compliance of regulations,' Kohli notes — but nothing in conventional seafarer training prepares a master for the split-second decisions required when a drone is inbound or when conflicting, unreliable information is flooding the bridge from multiple sources. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most strategically vital waterways on the planet, with an estimated 20 percent of global oil trade transiting the passage. Heightened regional tensions in recent years have seen commercial vessels caught in the crossfire of geopolitical confrontation, with several ships attacked, seized or damaged. Yet, according to Kohli's account, the response from shipowners, flag states and the broader industry has fallen well short of what crews on the front line require. His account highlights the compounding dangers of misinformation — with crews receiving contradictory guidance from multiple parties — alongside the psychological toll of sustained fear and uncertainty aboard a vessel that has no meaningful defensive capability. The testimony is a timely and uncomfortable reminder that seafarer welfare and crisis preparedness must extend beyond traditional safety management systems. Industry bodies, shipowners and flag state administrations face growing pressure to develop robust, practical protocols for operating in conflict-affected waters, including clearer communication chains, updated risk assessments and meaningful psychological support for affected crews. With geopolitical instability showing little sign of abating across key maritime corridors — from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf — Captain Kohli's account serves as a critical call to action for an industry that cannot afford to leave its people unprepared. *Source: Splash247*