India orders halt to Indian seafarers crossing Hormuz
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- India has banned the deployment of its seafarers on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz until further notice.
- The decision follows recent drone attacks that killed two Indian seafarers, while about 15,000 Indian sailors remain stranded west of the strait.
India has ordered shipowners and operators to stop deploying Indian seafarers on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, citing growing security risks amid renewed regional hostilities.
In a notice issued late Wednesday, the Directorate General of Shipping instructed that no Indian seafarers be assigned to voyages involving transit through the strategic waterway. The directive follows a series of recent drone attacks on commercial shipping in and around the strait, in which two Indian seafarers were killed.
India is the world's third-largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 300,000 sailors serving on global shipping fleets, according to government data.
The Forward Seamen's Union of India said an estimated 15,000 Indian seafarers remain stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz as tensions continue to disrupt maritime operations in one of the world's busiest energy shipping routes.
