India Proposes Emergency Support Network For Seafarers After 15 Indian Crew Killed In Conflict Zones

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a new emergency support network for seafarers from BRICS countries after the deaths of Indian merchant seafarers in the Black Sea and West Asia.

Modi made the proposal at the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. He called it a “Seafarers Emergency Support Network” and said it could connect maritime authorities and diplomatic missions of BRICS countries.

The network would help seafarers during emergencies by handling distress alerts, medical assistance, communication with families and evacuation.

“Seafarers make a significant contribution to global trade, but they often find themselves without adequate support during difficult times. My proposal is – can we create a Seafarers Emergency Support Network?” Modi said.

He added: “Global trade can move forward only when sea lanes are secure, supply routes remain open, and seafarers are safe.”

Hours after Modi’s proposal, India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways released a National Seafarer Emergency Support Network action plan.

The ministry described the plan as the domestic foundation of Modi’s international proposal. The government has been working on the system since August under the shipping ministry’s “seafarer-first” initiative.

India is one of the world’s biggest sources of merchant seafarers. According to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026, Indian seafarers make up 12.16% of the global commercial shipping workforce.

India has 311,936 commercial seafarers out of a global total of 2.57 million, second only to the Philippines.

The need for better emergency support has become more urgent after Indian seafarers were killed in attacks in West Asia and the Black Sea.

At least 15 Indian merchant seafarers have lost their lives over the past nine months, while two remain missing.

10 Indian Seafarers Killed In West Asia

Ten Indian seafarers have been killed in West Asia since the conflict began earlier in 2026, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha on July 30.

Eight of those deaths took place in Oman, at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, where most of the attacks on merchant ships have occurred.

On the night of July 20, three ships were hit off Oman within hours. One of them was the Kuwait-flagged Kaifan, where an Indian second engineer was hospitalised.

The situation also led shipping companies to remove Indian seafarers from the region. By August 18, they had pulled 4,144 Indian seafarers out of the region.

The Directorate General of Shipping has also directed ship managers and owners to avoid deploying Indian crew through the high-risk Strait of Hormuz.

A Directorate of Maritime Administration report said 173 Indian seafarers remain in the Persian Gulf.

The safety of Indian seafarers and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz were also discussed during Modi’s bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New Delhi a day earlier.

Five Indians Killed In Black Sea

Five Indians were killed within 48 hours in July.

On July 18, one of three Indian crew members died on the Omorfi, which was attacked in what New Delhi called Russian territorial waters.

The following evening, four of the five Indian seafarers on the Golden Leo were killed while the ship was leaving the Ukrainian port of Odesa.

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen Union of India, welcomed Modi’s proposal but said more needed to be done.

References: Indian Express, Hindustan Times