Can India protect its seafarers in the Gulf? | Explained
The story so far On June 12, after India summoned U.S. Embassy representative Jason Meeks and lodged its “strong protest” against U.S. missile attacks on
The story so far On June 12, after India summoned U.S. Embassy representative Jason Meeks and lodged its “strong protest” against U.S. missile attacks on merchant vessels carrying Indian crew members, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that violations of the American blockade and “illicit transport of Iranian oil” would not be tolerated. Recalling his discussion with Mr. Rubio, Mr. Jaishankar posted on How many Indians are working on merchant vessels globally? There are an estimated 3.5 lakh Indian seafarers manning ships across the world. The Indian government estimates that more than half of them are in active service, mostly in foreign-flagged ships. This means one in every six seafarers serving on large merchant ships worldwide is Indian. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that some 20,000 seafarers of all nationalities are stranded on ships in the Persian Gulf region. The DG Shipping of India estimated at the start of the crisis that some 23,000 Indian seafarers are serving in the broader Gulf region in various capacities and facilities, with the UAE accounting for more than half. What happened to the three vessels targeted by the U.S.? On June 8, 10, and 11, the U.S. Navy fired precision munitions — Hellfire missiles — on merchant vessels Marivex, Settebello, and Jalveer. The three were tankers carrying Indian crew. While no one was hurt in the case of Marivex and Jalveer, three Indian seafarers — one chief engineer, one engine fitter, and one deck cadet — died onboard Settebello. While Marivex was attacked off the coast of Duqm, some 400 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz, the others were attacked off the coast of Shinas in Oman, which is closer to the strait. Videos put out by the United States Central Command (Centcom) show the engine rooms of the ships being hit as well as the steering compartments.
These attacks damaged the vessels above the waterline, so water didn’t rush in to sink them. But their ability to move and manoeuvre on their own was lost. In its press releases, the U.S. Centcom has said the crew of Settebello and Marivex refused to comply with instructions and all of them violated the blockade by attempting to transport Iranian oil. Marivex attempted to sail to an Iranian port, it claimed. While the Marivex crew is reported to have informed seafarers’ unions that their ship was at anchor while attacked, Settebello’s manager, IOS Marine FZE, a firm registered in Ajman, has flatly contradicted the U.S. The company has said Settebello was stationary for nearly 10 days in the region. It said the ship had no communication from the U.S. Navy and had no connection with Iranian oil or ports. What sanctions were imposed on these ships? Marivex was sanctioned by the U.S. in December 2025 for Iranian connections. Settebello had been flagged by a U.S. non-profit advocacy organisation, United Against Nuclear Iran, for alleged Iranian links. U.S. sanctions are not binding on any other country besides the U.S., although the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions make it difficult for the companies associated with the concerned ship to access the financial system and other business transactions. Quite often, sanctioned ships lose insurance cover, without which ports will not accept calls by the ships, and charterers will refuse to handle cargo through them. There have been reports of non-compliance of these ships with some maritime regulations. Typically, such violations, not uncommon in merchant shipping, relate to safety aspects. And ships are typically given time to remedy them before the consequences of losing insurance cover can kick in. Does the foreign-flag status of the vessels limit India’s options?
The BriefWire