OTTAWA — Three Canadian maritime trainees have safely returned home after being stranded aboard cargo ships in the Persian Gulf for over two weeks, according to Quebec-based shipping company Desgagnés.
The three sailors, who are students at the Institut Maritime du Québec (IMQ), were stationed on the company’s vessels as part of their professional training program. Since February 28, 2026, two Desgagnés ships—the Miena Desgagnés and the Rosaire A. Desgagnés—had been unable to leave the region due to Iran blocking international maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The company confirmed that the Saudi Arabian government played a crucial role in the rescue, facilitating the trainees’ departure from the region. The mariners were first flown to Europe before catching a connecting flight to Canada. While the trainees have been successfully repatriated, the cargo ships remain in the Gulf; they are currently flying the flag of Barbados, as the remaining crew members are foreign nationals.
In a contrasting statement, a spokesperson for Transport Canada mentioned they were not aware of any other Canadian-owned vessels currently stuck in the Persian Gulf. For now, the students and their families have requested privacy as they recover from the ordeal.
