In Manila, the Philippine capital, monsoon rains forced schools to close and suspended government services last week, but long lines still snaked around street corners at shipping companies and employment agencies. People are processing paperwork for jobs in increasingly dangerous waters.

Gerald, a veteran sailor, was sorting out last-minute paperwork for his next deployment. He is set to board the same cargo vessel he was on last time, docked off the port of Fujairah in the UAE. Last time, he was stuck there for two months when the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran in late February.

"There was one missile that flew over. The navy intercepted it right when it was above us, so we hid," recalled Gerald, who asked that his full name not be used to protect his job. "We knew fragments could land on our ship. But what can we do? There was nowhere safe."

He said he had never faced such fear and uncertainty in 15 years as a commercial seafarer. As the US-Israel war on Iran spread across the region, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, he and his stranded colleagues watched projectiles from both directions blow up mid-air for weeks. Shrapnel mostly ended up in the water, but the crossfire prevented their usual rations from coming through. They had to brave the danger and fish on the deck to survive.

But none of that has deterred him — not even the on-and-off diplomacy between Washington and Tehran. "I was able to save enough to buy a property after just two years of sailing," he said. "I was able to build a house for my parents." He grew up in a fishing village, and the sea has always been a source of food and income.

At the height of the war in March, nearly 20,000 sailors on 1,500 ships were trapped in the Strait of Hormuz. At least 17 have been killed in attacks since then. The Philippines supplies more than a quarter of the world's seafaring workforce. Among the 6,000 sailors currently stranded in the waterway, approximately 2,500 are Filipinos, according to data from the International Maritime Organization in July.

Even when the US and Iran struck an interim deal in June to end the war, there was no mass repatriation of Filipino sailors. The Department of Migrant Workers said more than 60 have since returned home from the Gulf, but most Filipinos on vessels that have been able to transit the Strait of Hormuz remain on board.

Alberto Lobaton was also due to return to sea and was staying at the same apartment complex near Manila Bay where Gerald was. He witnessed a strike on a ship in the Black Sea last year. "I felt the ship shake because the explosion was so close. It was just around 300 meters away; I was in our quarters, but those who were on duty that night stood up and ran," said Lobaton.

The Philippine government has appealed to shipowners to avoid high-risk areas or disembark their Filipino crew. It has also reminded sailors they have the right to refuse to sail. Lobaton admits it would be a lie to say he is not concerned for his safety, but the financial rewards outweigh the risk of injury or death. "If I die, my family will be set for life because we are insured. So if something were to happen to me, I'd prefer it happened while I'm at work at sea."

Source: www.aljazeera.com