MONTREAL — Three students who were stranded aboard ships in the Persian Gulf for more than two weeks arrived back home in good spirits. the director of Quebec’s maritime institute said.
All three students arrived in Quebec on Friday after flying from Saudi Arabia to London, then on to Canada.
Mélanie Leblanc, director of the institute, said in an interview that she had received an email earlier in the day from one of the students confirming their safe arrival. She also spoke with two of the students via video conference.
The trainees were part of a program with Quebec-based shipping company Desgagnés and were stationed on two cargo ships that have been unable to move since Feb. 28, when Iran blocked most traffic through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel.
Iran has essentially blockaded the waterway in retaliation for the attacks, which has left it nearly impassible.
Leblanc said they were in constant contact with the students throughout the ordeal.
“There wasn’t a single day that went by without us talking to them or writing to each other,” she said. She added that the students were always safe and the institute always knew where the ships were.
The students and their families declined media interviews for now, according to a maritime institute statement.
The two ships were general-purpose cargo ships capable of carrying a wide variety of goods, explained Leblanc. The students weren’t crew members in the strict sense, she added.
“They’re students in training … They don’t have a specific role on board, which is why we were able to disembark them.”
She added that, unlike full crews, which are essential for operations and 24-hour watchkeeping, the students could leave safely without affecting the functioning of the ships.
As the situation dragged on, the institute began considering evacuation. Leblanc said the decision was guided by practical concerns:
“We had to think about how much learning was actually happening on board when the ships couldn’t operate normally, and parents were understandably worried about their kids.”
Evacuation logistics differed for each student, she said. Two were disembarked when their ship was unloading cargo in a Saudi port, a process co-ordinated with local authorities by the shipowner. The third required a more “complex operation,” Leblanc said, as Saudi officials did not permit a transfer by a smaller service boat, forcing the ship to secure a docking slot specifically to allow the student to disembark. Leblanc said both operations went smoothly.
“It all went very well, we’re happy,” she said.
She said the institute provided close support throughout the ordeal, keeping in regular contact with the students and planning debriefings for next week. “It’s kept us on our toes these past two weeks,” she said. She added that the students themselves were doing well, and it was mostly their parents who felt the greatest relief.
“This is unprecedented in my 14 years at the institute,” she said. “We’ve offered evacuations before, but it wasn’t for an incident on board — it was more for a situation on land. But a situation like this, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Leblanc added that the experience reaffirmed the institute’s emergency procedures. “It showed that our processes work, and our students felt supported throughout.”
No other students from the institute remain in the Persian Gulf, and the crews aboard the ships are international.
“No ships are entering or leaving the region until the situation stabilizes,” Leblanc said.
She added that the institute currently has 25 students working on ships around the world, some in Quebec and others stationed internationally.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2026.
Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press
