India has directed shipping companies and recruitment agencies to stop deploying Indian seafarers on vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, citing growing security risks as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensify.
The Directorate General of Shipping issued the order after a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the strategic waterway left multiple Indian sailors dead.
According to Indian authorities, 10 civilian ships carrying Indian crew members have been targeted since the conflict escalated earlier this year. At least eight Indian seafarers have been killed in attacks linked to U.S. and Iranian military operations.
The latest incidents include the death of an Indian sailor aboard the UAE-operated tanker MT Mombasa, which was struck by an Iranian missile on Tuesday. A day later, an Indian engineer missing after an attack on the GFS Galaxy was confirmed dead.
In its directive, the shipping regulator instructed Indian ship owners, managers and recruitment agencies to avoid assigning Indian nationals to vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, citing significantly increased risks to commercial shipping and crew safety.
However, maritime labour representatives say the order has limited practical impact because most Indian seafarers working in the region are employed by foreign-owned shipping companies rather than Indian operators.
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India estimates that around 15,000 Indian seafarers remain aboard commercial vessels operating in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Union Secretary-General Manoj Yadav said decisions on whether ships continue transiting the waterway are ultimately made by foreign shipowners and charter companies, limiting India’s ability to protect its citizens through domestic regulations alone.
The union has called on the Indian government to raise the issue at the United Nations and engage directly with both the United States and Iran to improve the safety of Indian seafarers operating in the conflict zone.
