MONTREAL — Three college students who have been stranded aboard ships within the Persian Gulf for greater than two weeks arrived again house in good spirits. the director of Quebec’s maritime institute mentioned.
All three college students arrived in Quebec on Friday after flying from Saudi Arabia to London, then on to Canada.
Mélanie Leblanc, director of the institute, mentioned in an interview that she had acquired an electronic mail earlier within the day from one of many college students confirming their secure arrival. She additionally spoke with two of the scholars by way of video convention.
The trainees have been a part of a program with Quebec-based delivery firm Desgagnés and have been stationed on two cargo ships which were unable to maneuver since Feb. 28, when Iran blocked most site visitors by the Strait of Hormuz amid the continuing battle with the U.S. and Israel.
Iran has primarily blockaded the waterway in retaliation for the assaults, which has left it practically impassible.
Leblanc mentioned they have been in fixed contact with the scholars all through the ordeal.
“There wasn’t a single day that glided by with out us speaking to them or writing to one another,” she mentioned. She added that the scholars have been all the time secure and the institute all the time knew the place the ships have been.
The scholars and their households declined media interviews for now, in response to a maritime institute assertion.
The 2 ships have been general-purpose cargo ships able to carrying all kinds of products, defined Leblanc. The scholars weren’t crew members within the strict sense, she added.
“They’re college students in coaching … They don’t have a selected function on board, which is why we have been capable of disembark them.”
She added that, not like full crews, that are important for operations and 24-hour watchkeeping, the scholars might depart safely with out affecting the functioning of the ships.
Because the state of affairs dragged on, the institute started contemplating evacuation. Leblanc mentioned the choice was guided by sensible issues:
“We had to consider how a lot studying was truly taking place on board when the ships couldn’t function usually, and fogeys have been understandably frightened about their youngsters.”
Evacuation logistics differed for every pupil, she mentioned. Two have been disembarked when their ship was unloading cargo in a Saudi port, a course of co-ordinated with native authorities by the shipowner. The third required a extra “advanced operation,” Leblanc mentioned, as Saudi officers didn’t allow a switch by a smaller service boat, forcing the ship to safe a docking slot particularly to permit the scholar to disembark. Leblanc mentioned each operations went easily.
“All of it went very nicely, we’re completely satisfied,” she mentioned.
She mentioned the institute offered shut help all through the ordeal, conserving in common contact with the scholars and planning debriefings for subsequent week. “It’s stored us on our toes these previous two weeks,” she mentioned. She added that the scholars themselves have been doing nicely, and it was principally their mother and father who felt the best aid.
“That is unprecedented in my 14 years on the institute,” she mentioned. “We’ve provided evacuations earlier than, but it surely wasn’t for an incident on board — it was extra for a state of affairs on land. However a state of affairs like this, I’ve by no means seen something prefer it.”
Leblanc added that the expertise reaffirmed the institute’s emergency procedures. “It confirmed that our processes work, and our college students felt supported all through.”
No different college students from the institute stay within the Persian Gulf, and the crews aboard the ships are worldwide.
“No ships are getting into or leaving the area till the state of affairs stabilizes,” Leblanc mentioned.
She added that the institute presently has 25 college students engaged on ships world wide, some in Quebec and others stationed internationally.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed March 21, 2026.
Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press