India Ready to Scale up Seafarer Repatriation Efforts Amid Rising Maritime Security Incidents in West Asia

Speaking during an inter-ministerial briefing on developments in West Asia on Thursday, Mangal said the scale of future evacuation measures would depend on the requirements of Indian seafarers in the region.   “It all depends on how many seafarers are willing to come back. If there is a need, we will increase our effort,” he said.   According to the Ministry, there are currently 13 Indian-flagged vessels operating in the region with 562 Indian seafarers onboard. Overall, around 18,000 Indian seafarers are employed across West Asia, while the global Indian seafaring workforce stands at approximately 320,000.

The Ministry, through the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 3,537 Indian seafarers from the region so far, including 31 seafarers evacuated in the last 72 hours from various Gulf locations.

The government highlighted a series of recent maritime security incidents involving vessels carrying Indian crew members.

A fire was reported onboard the Palau-flagged tanker MT MARIVEX near the Omani coast. The vessel had 24 Indian crew members, all of whom were successfully rescued by the Omani Air Force on June 8.

In a separate incident on June 10, the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT SETTEBELLO came under attack, triggering emergency response procedures onboard. The vessel carried 28 seafarers, including 24 Indians, two Pakistanis, one Russian, and one Ukrainian.   The Ministry confirmed that three Indian crew members lost their lives in the attack.   “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased seafarers,” the official statement said.

The remaining 25 crew members, including 21 Indians, were safely evacuated.

On Thursday, another vessel, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged asphalt/bitumen tanker MT JALVEER (IMO 9486283), was reportedly involved in a maritime security incident near Shinas Port, Oman. The vessel has 20 Indian seafarers onboard, all of whom have been reported safe.     Government officials noted that two of the vessels involved in the recent incidents were under sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), while the third vessel has been categorised as a non-compliant ship.      The Ministry said it continues to closely monitor the evolving security situation in the Gulf region and remains in coordination with relevant authorities to ensure the safety and welfare of Indian seafarers operating in affected waters.   India remains one of the world’s largest suppliers of maritime manpower, and the government has reiterated its commitment to safeguarding Indian seafarers amid growing geopolitical and maritime security challenges in West Asia.