Nikeel Idnani, used this year’s Day of the Seafarer to deliver a frank and impassioned address on the dangers facing the global maritime workforce and to call on shipowners, managers, charterers, and flag states to guarantee seafarers an unconditional right to refuse transit through active conflict zones.
The theme for this year’s Day of the Seafarer, Carrying World Trade, Carrying the Risks, could not have been more apt. With 80% of global trade volumes carried by sea, the merchant fleet underpins the world economy. But as Idnani reminded his audience, ships move only when their propellers turn, and it is the marine engineer on board who ensures that happens.
“Marine engineers serve on board—they are the ones who ensure that the propeller turns, hopefully in the desired direction and at the desired speed,” he said, “while carrying the terrifying risks of a VUCA world: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.”
Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz
Idnani pointed to the escalating threat to international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, some 150 nautical miles from the Jumeirah Beach venue where he spoke. Since 28 February this year, vessels have been forced to navigate active hostilities in the region, with approximately 50 attacks on international shipping recorded to date, resulting in 14 seafarer fatalities.
The human cost was brought sharply into focus with the case of the MT Settebello. On 11 June, the vessel’s engine room was struck by a projectile, killing three crew members — among them Chief Engineer Mr. Patna Suresh, who was reportedly inspecting a fault on one of the ship’s generators at the time of the strike. Mr. Suresh had been scheduled to sign off the very next day, on 24 June, to celebrate his 15th wedding anniversary.
“Three seafarers died simply for doing their jobs,” Idnani said.
Criminal Charges Against the Dali‘s Chief Engineer
Turning to a separate maritime controversy, Idnani noted that criminal charges have been brought against the chief engineer of the containership Dali and the vessel’s superintendent by prosecutors in Baltimore, individuals he pointedly observed have “most likely never logged a single propelling day at sea.”
Piracy and Abandonment
The threats facing seafarers are not confined to the Middle East. Idnani highlighted ongoing piracy off the Somali coast, as well as the plight of four sailors stranded aboard an abandoned vessel in Turkey for ten months — rescued earlier this month thanks to intervention by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
He also drew attention to the 15 foreign-flagged vessels currently abandoned at anchor in the Sea of Marmara, whose crews continue to face serious mental health pressures and deteriorating living conditions.
“Do they deserve this failure of human decency?” he asked. “Shouldn’t seafarers be protected, and freedom of navigation ensured at all times, so that merchant shipping can safely continue to carry 80% of world trade volumes?”
Addressing the “Elephant in the Engine Room”
Idnani was candid about the commercial realities at play. He acknowledged that some seafarers willingly transit high-risk areas in exchange for financial compensation, and that this is ultimately a personal decision. However, he drew a firm line at coercion.
“If any crew member wishes not to transit these war areas, they have the right to refuse and are legally entitled to repatriation, with severance pay in some cases. However, some crew are being forced to sail with no option.”
A Call to Stakeholders
Closing his address, Idnani issued a direct request to the industry’s decision-makers: shipowners, managers, charterers, and flag states.
“I request the responsible stakeholders to guarantee that every seafarer must have the unconditional right to refuse transit through active conflict zones without fear of losing their livelihood. No doubt, profits matter, but human lives are non-negotiable.”
Nikeel Idnani is the Honorary Secretary of the IMarEST UAE Branch
