Arild Syvertsen is one of many retired sailors who are reliving traumatic memories from the Strait of Hormuz, amid the current crisis in this waterway.
"We are experiencing the return of [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] during this war," he told Radio Free Europe from his home in Norway. Syversten said that "sailors who were there in the '80s are going through a difficult time because all the memories are coming back."
Syversten steered ships through the Strait of Hormuz during the height of the Tanker War, a 1981-1988 conflict that resembles today's crisis in the Persian Gulf.
The Tanker War was an offshoot of the Iran-Iraq War, which began in 1980 with Iraq's invasion of Iran. The conflict quickly spread to the waters of the Persian Gulf, as Iraq, and then Iran, targeted each other's oil facilities and shipping.
By the mid-80s, Iraq, using aircraft acquired from France and anti-ship missiles, had attacked neutral ships carrying Iranian oil, while Iran had used naval frigates and fast boats to attack third-country oil tankers using the ports of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Both of these Arab countries had supported Iraq in the war.
Hundreds of ships were attacked during the naval conflict and more than 100 merchant mariners were killed.
Despite the risks, sailors were persuaded to serve on tankers sailing through the Persian Gulf, in part because of the additional hazard pay, which in some cases doubled their pay for each day they sailed through dangerous waters. Syvertsen said even senior crew members felt an obligation to keep energy supplies moving through this vital waterway.
"We wanted to do our job because the shipowners were telling us that we had to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and transport energy, otherwise the whole world's economy would collapse," he said.
Olav Myklebust worked as an engineer on board ships sailing in the Persian Gulf in the 80s and survived two attacks by Iraqi aircraft. During one of these attacks, off the coast of Dubai, an anti-ship missile passed close to his ship before hitting another vessel nearby, killing several people in the engine room. He continues to work today as an oil tanker manager.
This industry veteran said that the same tactics used by ships in the 80s to avoid detection are likely being adopted by some of the vessels that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.
Tankers in the Persian Gulf in the 80s mostly operated in the dark, he said. “No lights, no lamps,” and all the windows in the crew cabins were covered. “We hardly used radar at all, only occasionally, because it can send a signal to the shore. That’s how they will do it today, they will sneak through.”
He added that ships can turn off transponders used to avoid collisions, as these devices also reveal the location of ships and appear on shipping tracking websites.
Syvertsen, who has written a book about the conflict, remains deeply affected by a decision he made as the captain of a tanker sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz in August 1987.
Sailing through the Persian Gulf at night, Syversten's ship had turned off all lights and stopped signaling as he attempted to pass his ammonia tanker through the Strait of Hormuz unnoticed.
Suddenly, a light was seen at sea, indicating that another vessel that was attempting to pass in the same way, in secret, was attacked by a group of Iranian speedboats.
“We saw the missiles and listened to the radio. The captain was desperate,” Syversteni recalled. As an urgent message for help came over the radio, the retired sailor said, “I was in conflict with myself.” Returning to offer help was almost suicidal, but the Norwegian could offer help over the radio, responding to the request.
"But I knew that if I called and sent a message, the Iranian attack ships would know that another tanker was nearby," Syversten said. He made the decision to remain silent.
"I had to think about the 24 other people on board our ship and just continue in the darkness without responding."
After hundreds of ships were attacked by Iraq and Iran in the 80s, the US sent warships to escort tankers through the Gulf. But the intervention had tragic consequences. In May 1987, the USS Stark was hit by missiles fired from an Iraqi plane. Baghdad later said that the pilot mistook the warship for a tanker. Thirty-seven US Marines were killed in the incident.
A year later, after “liberalized” rules of engagement were imposed on American ships escorting tankers in the Persian Gulf, the warship USS Vincennes mistook an Iranian passenger plane for a fighter jet.
After warning the plane to change course, Vincennes fired two missiles that caused the plane to break up in the sky. All 290 people on board were killed.
The Iran-Iraq War ended in August 1988, and a month later, US warships ceased their tanker escort operation in the Persian Gulf.
Veterans of the 80s tanker war said today that the Strait of Hormuz could be opened by force by the US Navy. But Syvertsen said he believes such a step "would only worsen the current conflict."
Myklebust recalled an incident in July 1987, when a tanker being escorted by American warships hit a naval mine, using the incident as evidence that "even with one of the most powerful fleets in the world, you cannot completely control the environment."
On April 12, US President Donald Trump said that the US Navy would begin blocking the Strait of Hormuz, preventing even ships that have paid a transit fee to Iran from passing through. /REL
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