March the 4th, 2026 – Around 300 Croatian sailors are currently stuck in the Persian Gulf as the conflict in the Middle East escalates following American and Israeli attacks on Iran.
As Sinisa Malus/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, what many feared at the beginning of the week has now actually happened. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced late on Monday night that the Strait of Hormuz was closed to traffic and warned that it would attack vessels that tried to cross the strait. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps General Sardar Jabbari threatened one day later to “set fire to every single vessel” passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Jabbari also stated that all oil pipelines would be attacked and that “not a single drop of oil would leave that region.”
Croatian sailors have also been caught up in all the unfolding chaos. As the Secretary General of the Croatian Seafarers’ Union (SPC) Neven Melvan revealed the situation is really serious because nobody can predict what the Iranian side will do next and how much the conflict could escalate in the coming days. Estimates of how many Croatian sailors are stuck in the Persian Gulf and as such directly in the conflict-affected area are poor, but some rough estimates do exist.
croatian sailors are trapped in the increasingly hostile persian gulf
“It’s estimated that around 300 Croatian sailors are trapped in the war-torn Persian Gulf, employed on offshore platforms and other facilities related to the transport of oil and natural gas. A few of them have contacted us, these people are now literally trapped at airports, because there are no flights to get them out,” Neven Melvan stated, emphasising his concern about the increasingly difficult conditions for the return of these sailors to Croatia, as well as the potential security risks they’re being exposed to while staying and working in the affected areas. At the same time, he praised the determination of state institutions for their speed of response.
“It seems that everyone is doing their best to find solutions in a far from simple situation. We need to bring together as many relevant people and institutions as possible in order to find a way out for these people,” Melvan said. “Over the past couple of days, we’ve received a large number of inquiries from both the Croatian sailors stuck in the Persian Gulf and their family members regarding serious problems related to their return and the security threat in the war zone,” Melvan added.
ap astarea
The ship AP Astarea, owned by Atlantska plovidba, is also in the port of Hamriyah near Dubai. As the company has revealed, the safest thing for it to do is just to remain there for now. “Under no circumstances will we put commercial effects ahead of anyone’s safety, so the priority is the safety of the crew and the ship. The position the ship is in now seems safe for the time being. We think it is safer than any of the alternative options,” they revealed from Atlantska plovidba.
A meeting was held between representatives of the Seafarers’ Union with representatives of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and in addition to representatives of the two ministries, there were also shipowners’ associations, agents’ associations and unions.
croatia airlines planes will repatriate stuck citizens
Separately, Croatia has hired a Croatia Airlines plane to evacuate Croatian citizens in the Middle East. This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP) on Tuesday, and they added that an additional plane has been secured to transport Croatian pilgrims from Israel to Lyon.
“In coordination with the relevant national bodies, a Croatia Airlines plane has been hired to evacuate Croatian citizens,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The ministry also noted that the plane will likely fly into Dubai if security guarantees are obtained. They also stated that diplomatic and consular missions will inform Croatian citizens about this and other flights out of Dubai back to Croatia over the coming days in a timely manner. The Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman stated the day before that there were around 2,000 Croatian citizens currently stuck in Dubai. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that priority for return is being given to vulnerable groups such as children, the sick and pregnant women.
