West Asia conflict: Why Indian seafarers keep sailing into Hormuz

Sixteen Indian seafarers have been killed in attacks on merchant ships since the West Asia conflict began in February. Thirty-three have been injured, and three are missing. All but one of the dead were on foreign-flagged vessels. India has not barred its seafarers from sailing into the conflict zone, and the regulator says many go because the pay is two to three times what they’d earn elsewhere.

Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of Shipping in the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Inland Waterways, put it plainly to The Indian Express: “In absolute numbers, foreign-flagged vessels have sustained more hits than Indian-flagged vessels. However, in terms of casualties, India has paid the highest cost.”

Here’s how that happened, and what the government is doing about it.

What is the conflict, and where are the attacks?

On February 28, the US and Israel struck Iran. Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed on March 4, and its forces began attacking merchant vessels in and around the strait. The US later blockaded Iranian ports and struck tankers trying to run that blockade. Ceasefires in April and June both collapsed.

As of October, the strait remains largely shut to commercial traffic. Before the war, Jagannathan estimates, 130 to 140 tankers passed through daily. Now it’s 16 or 17, he said.

The danger isn’t only in the Gulf. The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) counts five Indian seafarer deaths in the Black Sea, where ships have come under attack in the Russia-Ukraine war, plus eight injured and two missing. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden face separate threats from Houthi attacks and piracy.

Why are so many of the dead seafarers Indian?

Because Indians crew the world’s ships. India is the second-largest supplier of seafarers after the Philippines. Its workforce grew from 1.03 lakh in 2013 to 3.23 lakh in 2025. In the Middle East, Indians are the largest seafaring nationality.

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“On almost any ship, one is likely to find Indian crew members,” Jagannathan said. More than nine in 10 Indian seafarers in the fleets tracked by the government serve on foreign-flagged vessels. That’s why 15 of the 16 dead were on foreign ships. The Indian flag protects a vessel in diplomatic terms, but most Indians at sea aren’t under it.

Has India stopped them from going?

The DGMA issues advisories, not bans. The Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are classed as high-risk zones, and companies are told to take precautions.

The one hard rule came on August 5. Under Circular 47, a shipowner or crewing agency must inform the DGMA before taking a vessel through Hormuz, and must obtain the written consent of every Indian seafarer on board. No Indian is meant to transit the strait without being told and agreeing.

Jagannathan’s explanation for why they agree is “some seafarers continue to accept assignments in conflict zones because shipping companies offer two to three times their normal wages, while others may be driven by financial necessity”.

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The government’s legal position is that merchant ships have the right of innocent passage under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and that seafarers, now recognised as key workers under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, have the right to a safe workplace.

Are Indians trapped out there?

It depends on who you ask, and how you define trapped. Jagannathan acknowledged that vessels trying to cross Hormuz have been hit by projectiles. “A vessel in an area where attempting to cross poses a risk could be perceived as being trapped,” he said.

The DGMA’s written response says something firmer: regular crew changes are happening, and “no seafarer remains trapped or stranded on a vessel for a period exceeding their contract”.

As of October 8, DGMA was tracking 38 vessels of Indian interest in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden: 30 Indian-flagged ships carrying 750 Indian seafarers, and eight foreign-flagged ships with cargo bound for India. They include container vessels, crude and product tankers, bulk carriers and LPG carriers.

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More than 4,292 Indian seafarers have been flown home from the Gulf since the DG Shipping control room was activated. The control room has taken 19,800 calls and nearly 55,000 emails from seafarers, families and companies. An eNavik tracking dashboard, launched in May, follows 19,609 Indians across more than 1,970 vessels in the region.

What about sanctioned ships?

On June 9, US forces struck the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello off Oman, killing three Indian seafarers. US Central Command said the vessel had tried to breach the US blockade of Iranian ports.

India’s position, as the DGMA restated it citing the Ministry of External Affairs, is that it recognises sanctions imposed by the United Nations and not those imposed unilaterally by individual countries. In practice, that means there’s no Indian bar on Indians crewing vessels the US has sanctioned.

What the DGMA has done is tighten the paperwork. Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) agencies must now verify a vessel’s ownership, flag, insurance, and certificates before signing on crew. And under DGS Order No. 08 of 2026, 366 foreign-flagged vessels with more than two recorded cases of abandoning seafarers are barred from hiring Indians through approved agencies. The list, with flags and IMO numbers, is on the DGMA website.

What do the families get?

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If a seafarer dies in a war-like or high-risk zone, the Seafarers Welfare Fund Society pays Rs 10 lakh ex gratia. Members of the National Union of Seafarers of India receive another Rs 10 lakh, while members of the Maritime Union of India receive Rs 12 lakh.

On top of that, the shipowner’s protection and indemnity insurer pays compensation under the crew contract.

What about survivors?

The DGMA is a regulator, not an employer, and it says so. “We guide seafarers towards their parent companies if they wish to seek employment,” Jagannathan said. Those who don’t want to go back to sea get help settling wages and dues and claiming insurance. Lost documents are replaced free of charge.

Welfare Fund schemes include a Death on Board Benefit, a Survivor’s Benefit and an Invalidity Benefit of Rs 6 lakh each, Rs 2 lakh for critical illness, and Rs 20,000 a month for up to 12 months for seafarers whose ships have abandoned them.