Uttarakhand captain Ashish Sharma stranded in oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran war; family’s anxiety grows

ROORKEE: A family in Roorkee is having sleepless nights after a city-based captain of a large oil tanker was left stranded off the coast in UAE waters at Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war.

Holed up inside the Russian vessel for days, captain Ashish Sharma, 42, told TOI over phone on Thursday: "The situation is tense. We're living by the hour. There are several large vessels anchored off the coast here. Missile debris did fall near some vessels around us. But no vessel has been directly targeted so far. We hear loud thuds and booms possibly caused by missile interceptors and drones at night. It is an active zone. Thankfully, there have been no reports of any damage to ships."

Sharma added: "We're in regular touch with authorities in the shipping department. Things are fluid and uncertain, and I've been given clear instructions to float the tanker only after following the safety norms for the crew and the vessel."

Captain Sharma is with at least 23 crew members -- reportedly all Indians -- aboard the 30,000-tonne capacity oil tanker that was en route from the UAE to Russia when it was forced to anchor after the strategic shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz, came under attack.

Thousands of kms back home, Sharma's wife Sarunika Bansal Sharma, a homemaker, said, "We have two ‘special' kids -- aged 9 and 4 years. All of us are deeply worried. The children miss their father dearly... But, we're not panicking yet. We know everything will be fine and Ashish will be back with us."

Sarunika, who lives with her in-laws, is also taking care of her parents who live in the same city. "We receive his messages and phone calls every day. He keeps telling us that there is no need to worry. However, we know he is in a war zone and anything can happen...," she said, adding that they are praying for everyone to return home safe.