Stop deploying seafarers on vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz: India to shipowners, cites ‘increased risks’

India has asked ship owners, ship management companies and recruitment agencies to suspend the deployment of Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid a sharp rise in security threats in the region.

The directive comes after escalating tensions between Iran and the US triggered a series of attacks on commercial ships operating in and around the strategic maritime corridor over the past few days. One such attack claimed the life of an Indian seafarer. The International Maritime Organization has also cautioned that the vital shipping route remains unsafe for commercial navigation at present.

‘Heightened security vigilance in Hormuz’

In an advisory issued late Wednesday on X, the Directorate General of Shipping said that, as a precautionary measure, there should be no deployment of Indian crew members on vessels undertaking voyages through the waterway “until further orders.

Incidents “over the past few days have increased the risks faced by seafarers and commercial ships operating in the conflict-affected area significantly,” the directorate mentioned in a statement.

The Directorate General of Shipping also called for “heightened security vigilance in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and adjoining waters,” while directing stakeholders to continuously monitor navigational warnings and security advisories.

India is the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 310,000 Indians serving on merchant vessels, according to estimates by BIMCO, a global shipping association, and the International Chamber of Shipping.

General secretary of the Forward Seamen's Union of India reacts

As per Bloomberg, Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, stated, “This can’t be enforced, as most of the ships are foreign-owned and foreign-flagged and India has no jurisdiction", noting that there are thousands of Indian seafarers on vessels in the conflict zone, “and they can’t just be offloaded".

Over 15,000 Indian seafarers remain stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Yadav, reported Reuters.

"We can stop the new sets of crews from joining in those areas. But what about those thousands of seafarers who are still trapped in those deadly seas and under the threat to their lives? What is the government doing to take them out?", Yadav stated.

Meanwhile, in June, the government had already advised shipping companies and recruitment agencies to limit the deployment of Indian seafarers in conflict-prone regions. The shipping ministry did not immediately respond to questions on how the latest directive would be implemented or whether any penalties would apply for non-compliance.

India's decision mirrors a similar move previously taken by the Philippines, the world's largest supplier of seafarers, which had instructed recruitment agencies to halt the deployment of its nationals to the Persian Gulf, worsening an existing workforce shortage. Manila later relaxed those restrictions.

New Delhi has also lodged a strong protest with Iran over one of the fatalities, summoning the country's deputy ambassador on Tuesday.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global shipping route linking the Persian Gulf to international markets and, during peacetime, carries around one-fifth of the world's daily oil supplies. The strategic waterway remains at the centre of tensions between Tehran and Washington.