When war feels next door

An oil rig worker in Kuwait shares his fears and uncertainties as conflict looms nearby, trapped in a war's shadow.

“It is as if there is a raging fire in the neighbourhood—close enough to feel the heat, yet not quite at your door.” 

Swapnil Ghosh, an electronics and instrumentation engineer working on an onshore oil rig in Kuwait, spoke metaphorically during a video call when asked what it felt like to live through weeks of conflict. 

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“Off duty, I stayed inside — waiting, watching, telling myself ‘you are still safe’. The air was thick with uncertainty. One shift in the wind or a stray missile could change everything,” he said over a video call from his cabin. 

Kuwait, located on the northern edge of the Gulf, lay close to the flashpoint of the West Asian conflict. While not directly involved, the war came close enough for those on the ground. 

Since March, attacks had reportedly targeted not only strategic oil infrastructure but also facilities linked to civilian life. Oil tankers near Kuwait International Airport and the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery were hit. A power and desalination plant was also struck on March 30, killing an Indian worker, according to local authorities.