India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways has advised Indian seafarers in West Asia to prioritize safety and continue their duties without returning home. No repatriation orders have been issued; instead, advisories from the Directorate General of Shipping apply to crews on both Indian and foreign-flagged vessels.
Recent maritime incidents in the region involved 78 Indian seafarers on foreign-flagged ships, with 70 unharmed, four injured but stable, three fatalities, and one missing. Approximately 23,000 Indian seafarers are employed in Gulf countries, mainly on foreign vessels, while 28 Indian-flagged ships operate in the Persian Gulf—24 west of the Hormuz Strait (677 crew) and four east on high seas (101 crew).
Escalating tensions, triggered by a joint Israel-US airstrike on Iran’s leadership and subsequent retaliatory actions, have halted ship movements in the Persian Gulf, disrupting global oil and gas supplies. This chokepoint crisis heightens risks for Indian exports and fuel imports, inflating freight rates and impacting maritime logistics chains reliant on the region.
