World Report TUNISIA - FRANCE - UK
Mar 29, 2026
Russell Padmore, a London reporter covering the Bank of England, talks about plans to put wildlife on future banknotes and the public reaction. Mary Fitzgerald, Marseille correspondent, discusses local politics and the far-right’s strong showing in the municipal vote. Elisabeth Altman, field reporter in Tunisia, reports on more than 1,000 commercial ships stranded north of the Strait of Hormuz and the crews’ urgent humanitarian needs.
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Humanitarian Crisis Among Ships Trapped At The Strait
- Over 1,000 civilian ships and an estimated 20,000–50,000 people are stranded north of the Strait of Hormuz in a growing humanitarian and logistical crisis.
- Engines off mean no desalination, so crews face acute shortages of water, food and medical supplies while charities and firms scramble to coordinate deliveries.
Abandoned Crews Relying On Charity For Survival
- Mission to Seafarers received distress calls from crews on smaller-company ships abandoned before the war and running dangerously low on food, water and pay.
- John Attenborough described 14 vessels with abandoned crews relying entirely on charity for survival and basic supplies.
Repatriation Blocked By Closed Ports And Full Cargoes
- Repatriation is a major bottleneck because ports are closed and ships fully loaded with hydrocarbons cannot disembark crew.
- ISWAN reports one third of calls concern repatriation, leaving many mainly Southeast Asian seafarers trapped past contract end dates.