Stop deploying seafarers on vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz: India to shipowners, cites ‘increased risks’ | Today’s news
India has asked ship owners, ship management companies and recruitment agencies to suspend deployment of Indian sailors to vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid a surge in security threats in the region.
The directive comes after escalating tensions between Iran and the US have sparked a series of attacks on merchant ships operating in and around the strategic maritime corridor in recent days. One such attack claimed the life of an Indian sailor. The International Maritime Organization also warned that the vital shipping route remains dangerous for commercial shipping at present.
“Increased Security Vigilance in Hormuz”
In a notification issued late on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Shipping said that as a precautionary measure, there should be no deployment of Indian crew members on vessels plying the waterway “until further orders.”
The incidents “in the last few days have significantly increased the risks faced by seafarers and merchant ships operating in the conflict-affected area,” the directorate said in a statement.
Read also | Controlling Hormuz would mean more US troops – and even more risk
The Directorate General of Shipping also called for “heightened security vigilance in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters” while ordering stakeholders to constantly monitor navigational warnings and safety advisories.
India is the world’s second largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 310,000 Indians serving on merchant ships, according to estimates by BIMCO, the global shipping association, and the International Chamber of Shipping.
The General Secretary of the Union of Leading Seamen of India reacts
According to Bloomberg, Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, said, “This cannot be enforced because most of the ships are foreign-owned and foreign-flagged and India has no jurisdiction,” noting that there are thousands of Indian sailors on vessels in the conflict zone, “and they cannot be offloaded.”
Read also | India eyes UAE ports to bypass Hormuz risks for energy costs
More than 15,000 Indian sailors remain trapped west of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Yadav, Reuters reported.
“We can prevent new groups of crews from joining in these areas. But what about the thousands of sailors who are still trapped in these deadly seas and their lives are at risk? What is the government doing to remove them?” Yadav said.
Read also | DGMA prohibits deployment of Indian sailors on ships passing through Hormuz
Meanwhile, in June, the government had already advised shipping companies and recruitment agencies to limit deployment of Indian seafarers in conflict-prone areas. The Shipping Ministry did not immediately respond to questions about how the latest directive will be implemented or whether there will be any penalties for non-compliance.
India’s decision echoes a similar move earlier by the Philippines, the world’s biggest supplier of seafarers, which ordered recruitment agencies to stop deploying its nationals to the Persian Gulf, exacerbating an existing labor shortage. Manila later relaxed these restrictions.
New Delhi also lodged a strong protest against Iran over one of the victims, summoning the country’s deputy ambassador on Tuesday.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf to international markets, transporting about a fifth of the world’s daily oil supply in peacetime. The strategic waterway remains at the center of tensions between Tehran and Washington.
