Context

• India has become the second-largest supplier of seafarers globally, with over 3.2 lakh personnel serving international shipping.
• They play a crucial role in global trade, energy security, and the Blue Economy, yet operate in a complex system involving multiple jurisdictions, flags of convenience, and diverse stakeholders.
• Recent conflicts in West Asia, the Red Sea, and the Black Sea have exposed the vulnerability of Indian seafarers and underscored the need for stronger protection.

India's Growing Maritime Workforce

• Indian seafarers work across international waters without permanently residing abroad.
• A single voyage may involve an Indian crew member employed by a foreign company, sailing on a vessel registered in another country and carrying cargo owned elsewhere.
• This fragmented structure creates uncertainty regarding responsibility during emergencies, often delaying rescue, legal assistance, and repatriation.

Challenges Faced by Indian Seafarers

• Complex Jurisdictional Responsibility
  • The multinational nature of shipping often blurs accountability among ship-owners, Flag States, insurers, and port authorities.
  • During crises such as attacks, detention, or abandonment, Indian diplomatic missions frequently struggle to identify the responsible authority, delaying assistance.
• Rising Security Threats
  • Commercial ships increasingly operate through conflict-prone waters.
  • Missile attacks, drones, piracy, hostage-taking, and sea mines in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, West Africa, and West Asia have endangered civilian crews.
  • Indian seafarers have become unintended victims of geopolitical conflicts despite having no role in them.
• Crew Abandonment
  • India records one of the highest numbers of abandoned seafarers worldwide.
  • Many face unpaid wages, inadequate food and medical care, confiscated documents, and delayed repatriation.
  • Weak enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) by some flag States further worsens their plight.
• Information and Communication Gaps
  • Although ship-tracking technology reveals a vessel's location, it rarely provides information about the crew's safety.
  • Families often remain unaware whether their loved ones are injured, detained, or stranded, causing severe anxiety.
• Limited Consular Preparedness
  • India's diplomatic missions are organised geographically rather than around mobile maritime workers.
  • The absence of specialised maritime officers, coordination with ports, hospitals, insurers, and legal experts often slows emergency response.

Government Initiatives

• The Seafarer First initiative marks an important step toward proactive protection by introducing a tracking dashboard, monitoring of high-risk regions, and liaison officers for affected families.
• The Directorate General of Shipping has also restricted deployment on vessels associated with crew abandonment and advised against deployment through conflict-prone routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.

Existing Gaps

• India still lacks a permanent Maritime Consular Protocol defining responsibilities during emergencies.
• Existing bilateral maritime agreements primarily facilitate employment and recognition of certificates but provide limited provisions for legal assistance, consular access, emergency evacuation, or compensation.
• Additionally, many seafarers receive insufficient information regarding vessel ownership, insurance status, sanctions, or previous abandonment records before signing contracts.

Way Forward

• India should establish a dedicated maritime consular network with trained officers in major shipping hubs.
• The Seafarer Dashboard should remain operational for all designated high-risk maritime regions.
• A comprehensive Maritime Consular Protocol should define procedures for distress response, rescue, legal aid, and repatriation.
• Recruitment agencies must ensure transparency by disclosing vessel ownership, insurance coverage, sanctions, and previous abandonment history before employment.
• Seafarers should have the right to refuse deployment into officially designated conflict zones without facing penalties.
• At the international level, India should collaborate with the Philippines, Indonesia, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to establish common standards on crew welfare, detention, abandonment, and repatriation.
• Stronger enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention and protection of commercial shipping from attacks are essential to safeguarding civilian seafarers.

Conclusion

• India's maritime ambitions extend beyond ports, shipping corridors, and naval capability.
• They depend equally on protecting the citizens who sustain global maritime commerce.
• Ensuring proactive governance, international cooperation, transparent recruitment, robust consular support, and effective legal safeguards will strengthen India's maritime leadership while fulfilling its responsibility towards every Indian seafarer, regardless of the flag under which they serve.