"Indian Seafarer Deaths Rise as Gulf Conflict Disrupts Hormuz Shipping"
Flag state
the country under whose flag a ship is registered, holding primary legal jurisdiction over it
Innocent passage
a ship's right under UNCLOS to sail through another state's territorial waters without threat
India supplies crews to the world's ships. The country is the second-largest supplier of seafarers globally, after the Philippines. India's seafaring workforce has grown from about 1.03 lakh in 2013 to 3.23 lakh in 2025. This labour force earns India significant foreign exchange through remittances. It also gives India a direct human stake in global shipping lanes, even when India has no ships of its own involved.
Three pillars support the legal architecture governing these workers. UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), 1982, gives merchant ships the right of innocent passage through international straits like Hormuz. This means ships can sail through another state's waters without interference, as long as it is not harmful. The Merchant Shipping Act is India's shipping law. It was updated in 2025. It recognises seafarers as key workers with a right to a safe workplace. Domestically, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) regulates Indian-flagged vessels and Indian-certified crew. Its control arm is the DGMA. Both work under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Inland Waterways.
A structural jurisdictional gap exists because most Indian seafarers work on foreign-flagged ships. The flag state, not India, has primary legal authority over these ships. This is why India's own flag offers diplomatic protection, but most Indians at sea are not sailing under it. India can advise and assist but cannot directly command safety outcomes on those vessels.
The Sagarmala Programme is India's strategic initiative for port-led economic growth. It focuses on sustainable coastal infrastructure development. Sagarmala 2.0 represents an evolution of the original programme. It aligns maritime development with India's Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047 visions.
Since West Asia's conflict began, 16 Indian seafarers have been killed, 33 injured and 3 reported missing in attacks on merchant ships. 15 of the 16 deaths occurred on foreign-flagged vessels. This mirrors the wider pattern. More than nine in ten Indian seafarers in tracked fleets serve on foreign ships. When attacks happen, Indians bear a disproportionate human cost. This is true even though India itself has few ships directly in the firing line.
India has not banned its citizens from sailing through high-risk zones. These zones include the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Instead, the regulator issues advisories asking companies to take precautions. …
With reference to India's response to the West Asia shipping conflict, consider the following statements:
1.India has banned its seafarers from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
2.Circular 47 requires written consent of every Indian seafarer before a vessel transits the Strait of Hormuz.
3.India recognises sanctions imposed by individual countries as well as those imposed by the United Nations.
How many of the above statements are correct?
The 'right of innocent passage' invoked for merchant vessels transiting international straits is codified under which of the following?
Consider the following statements regarding Indian seafarers:
1.India is the largest supplier of seafarers in the world.
2.More than nine in ten Indian seafarers in tracked fleets serve on foreign-flagged vessels.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following best describes the 'flag state' in maritime law?
The Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 recognises seafarers as which of the following?
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