For 26-year-old Ambuj, an Indian seafarer stranded at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, the “new normal” involves a constant, haunting hum of fighter jets, and a terrifying new skill of identifying drones from the deck of his merchant vessel. Ambuj is just one of hundreds of Indian nationals working on various vessels across the wider Gulf region who now find themselves on the frontlines of a conflict ever since the US and Israel attacked Iran, and the latter retaliated.. Smoke emerging from a cargo vessel, as filmed from another vessel, just north of Dubai. (Photo via AFP). Also read | Trump says China, UK, others will ‘hopefully’ send warships to keep Strait of Hormuz ‘open and safe’. “We know how dangerous it could be to sail without a navy escort or without permission,” Ambuj told news agency Reuters, describing a state of high alert that has lasted for over a fortnight.. His crew first panicked in early March when their captain received a wireless warning from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stating that any attempt to pass through the Strait of Hormuz would have “consequences”.. “I have not been home for six months and cannot wait to see my family,” Ambuj said, currently waiting alongside 15 other crew members and 50 other ships for a safe passage that remains elusive.. “The company I work for has released us from duty and we are now waiting for safe passage because flights from Tehran are not operating. If we get clearance to sail to the Middle East or anywhere nearby, we will dock there and take the earliest flight home,” he said.. M Kanta, stationed on another India-bound ship, described how the crew’s “hearts sink” every time a drone or fighter jet passes overhead. This reached a breaking point when Iranian authorities ordered the crew’s Starlink internet service to be disconnected.. Also read | Oil ship Shenlong’s such a long journey to India via Hormuz Strait: Gone dark, fear lurked. For several days, the sailors were cut off from their families and verified news, left only with the sounds of sirens and the sight of fire on distant ships. Though the internet service was restored after March 6, the atmosphere remains grim. Another crewman, who did not want to be named and whose ship is carrying bitumen and crude, recalled the moment he saw a nearby vessel hit by a drone just a few nautical miles from the Strait.. “Sleeping is hard. There is a lot of anxiety,” he said, “One hobby these days is identifying planes, jets or drones we can spot from the ship.”. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that five Indians have lost their lives and one remains missing in the ongoing West Asia conflict.. Against this backdrop of fear, a breakthrough occurred on Saturday morning. The Indian government confirmed that two India-bound liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier ships — the Shivalik and the Nanda Devi — successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz.. The vessels, which were chartered by the Indian O