The war in West Asia has left nearly 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf, the first time since World War II that so many sailors remain stuck in a war zone, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the United Nations. This comes as Iran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route, disrupting vessel movement.

The maritime sector said it had designated the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf as a “warlike operations area”, granting seafarers additional protections as the war engulfs the crucial energy transit route, news agency AFP reported.

“There is no precedent for the stranding of so many seafarers in the modern age,” said Damien Chevallier, the head of the International Maritime Organization’s Safety Division, at a UN maritime conference.

There have been more than 20 attacks on vessels in the strait, with 10 seafarers killed and eight injured, Chevallier said. “It is a very scary situation, and one can only imagine the psychological stress they are under,” WSJ quoted Chevallier as saying.

Sailors reaching out through its 24-hour helpline are afraid, distressed and anxious; some are even expressing thoughts of self-harm, Simon Grainge, the chief executive of the London-based International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network, told The New York Times.

The IMO is the UN’s global maritime regulator and is pushing for a safe maritime corridor in the Persian Gulf to evacuate the stranded vessels and seafarers. Iran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, making it hard for ships to exit the Persian Gulf and reach the Indian Ocean.

“The first thing that came to my mind was my family, what would happen to them if something happened to me, since I am the breadwinner,” said KR, a sailor who saw the Ras Laffan strikes from the tanker’s deck and spoke to The New York Times on the Messenger app from his ship. He asked to be identified only by his initials and that his employer and vessel not be named.

He is one of almost 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the IMO.

About 20 commercial vessels have been attacked in the region since the war began, according to the IMO. Ten seafarers and one shipyard worker were killed, at least 10 were injured and four remain missing.