Companies are hiring ocean divers who specialize in removing barnacles from ship hulls as vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than three months prepare to disembark and sail again. Bloomberg and the Financial Post both report a surge in demand for this niche underwater service, linked to the extended period ships spend at sea without regular maintenance. Barnacle growth and other marine fouling can add drag, reduce fuel efficiency, and complicate inspection and readiness for navigation. Divers are therefore being sought to scrape barnacles from hulls before ships leave the region. The outlets describe the work as targeted maintenance for ships waiting to resume routes that include the Strait of Hormuz. Both sources frame the hiring as a direct response to the operational backlog created by the ships’ prolonged time in the Persian Gulf rather than as a broader industry shift. Details on pricing, the number of divers hired, or which specific companies are contracting them are not provided in the excerpts.