Editorial: Indian seafarers in choppy waters

As the US-Iran agreement predictably ended prematurely and the conflict resumed, with both countries eyeing control over the Strait of Hormuz, India has directed ship owners and other stakeholders to avoid sending Indian seafarers into the choppy waters of Persian Gulf.

As the already volatile security situation deteriorated further in the last few days, India has been closely monitoring the situation and the Director General of Maritime Administration issued a circular listing certain precautionary measures to be taken by shipping companies for vessels already in the vicinity of the conflict-affected zone.

These included heightened operational security and emergency and response readiness. To prevent casualties and safeguard lives, the masters of ships will have to implement relevant ship security measures and plans in accordance with ISPS or International Ship and Port Facility Security code.

The advisory was necessitated by the heightened tensions and the continuing attacks on merchant vessels, resulting in deaths of over a dozen Indian seafarers since the conflict erupted.

The government came under severe criticism over its allegedly inept handling of the deaths of Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf due to missile attacks, first by the US and later by Iran. In both the cases, India summoned senior diplomats of the respective countries to lodge official protests.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the “unjustified” attacks and the consequent deaths of three Indian mariners.

There is a clear pattern of India treading on eggshells to avoid even a semblance of diplomatic confrontation with the US, despite its President Donald Trump’s repeated provocations in the past through issuing demeaning statements on several sensitive issues ranging from his self-proclaimed role in brokering India-Pakistan ceasefire to issuing diktats to India on whether or not to buy Russian crude.

Likewise, India struggled to balance its delicate relationship with Iran which is marked by pragmatism and recalibration on the one hand and with the edgy and unpredictable US and New Delhi’s new-found enthusiasm for Israel on the other.

The Iranian invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend its Supreme Leader’s funeral did put New Delhi in a spot but it has managed it reasonably well by deciding to send a suitably high-level official delegation. Iran’s invitation to and its acceptance by opposition parties like Congress helped shore up India’s overall clout with the Islamic Republic.

After the Philippines and China, India is the third largest supplier of commercial mariners to global companies. According to industry estimates, over three lakh Indians are reportedly engaged by merchant ships worldwide.

The seafarers’ union has been demanding accountability from authorities and ship owners and a compensation of USD 5 million to the families of dead seafarers. The timely launch of an initiative by the Centre to safeguard Indian seafarers operating in the conflict-affected region could be reassuring.

The setting up of a “real-time operational dashboard” to track Indian seafarers in the conflict zone could help in ensuring navigational safety and prompt emergency response, if needed.

Though Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has directed ship-owners and other parties concerned to ensure that seafarers are not coerced to sail into troubled waters, in the long run, the challenge will be to enforce deployment bans on foreign shipping companies and empowering Indian seamen to exercise their right to refuse working on vessels in high-risk zones without facing penalties or losing their jobs.