25 September,2026 08:36 PM IST | New York | mid-day online correspondent
EAM S Jaishankar co-chairs the inaugural meeting of Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, along with Liberia FM Sara Beysolow Nyanti. PIC/X
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday highlighted India's concerns over the growing number of attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers, saying such incidents had become a serious threat to maritime commerce and civilian lives, news agency IANS reported.
Addressing the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Jaishankar said India and Liberia had brought together a group of countries to strengthen efforts to protect commercial vessels and their crews.
Jaishankar referred to a recent attack on the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dove in the Gulf of Oman, in which an Indian sailor was killed. He also cited the attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaya in the Strait of Hormuz around 10 days earlier, following which an Indian crew member went missing.
"These, regrettably, are no longer exceptional occurrences," Jaishankar said.
He also referred to two attacks in the Black Sea. According to Jaishankar, the chief officer of MV Omorfi, an Indian national, was killed after the vessel was hit in Russian territorial waters on July 18. The following day, four Indian seafarers were killed when MV Golden Leo was struck after leaving Odesa.
The deaths of the four Indian seafarers aboard MV Golden Leo had earlier prompted India to raise the issue with Russia. Jaishankar had conveyed India's "strong concern" over the safety of Indian seafarers to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in July.
Jaishankar said the victims of attacks on commercial shipping were not limited to Indian nationals, with seafarers from several countries affected this year.
"From the Black Sea to the Red Sea to the Gulf, attacks on civilian shipping have become a growing cause of concern," he said, adding that actions that disrupt maritime commerce and result in the loss of innocent lives were "simply indefensible".
Jaishankar urged countries to work together to deter attacks and strengthen protections for commercial shipping and seafarers.
He said the stakes went beyond individual maritime routes, noting that international trade was worth more than USD 140 billion a day and that oceans supported more than 80 per cent of global trade. Nearly two million seafarers serve aboard merchant fleets worldwide, he said.
Seafarers also face challenges such as prolonged confinement aboard ships, delays in crew changes and returning home, separation from families and psychological distress, Jaishankar said.
He stressed the need for stronger cooperation under existing international and regional mechanisms, particularly because the flag of a vessel and the nationalities of its crew members often differ.
India is a major source of seafarers, while Liberia has the world's largest shipping registry. The two countries proposed the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers as a forum bringing together countries involved in shipping, vessel registration and crewing. The UN calendar lists the launch as an event organised by the Permanent Missions of India and Liberia.
Jaishankar said the group included major ship-owning nations, countries with large shipping registries and nations that supply significant numbers of seafarers.
He invited members to help shape the group's work, including its procedures and terms of reference, and thanked participating countries for joining the initiative.
Jaishankar said the proposal followed concerns India had raised at the BRICS summit hosted by New Delhi earlier this month.
He stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed a seafarers' emergency support network connecting maritime authorities and Indian embassies. The proposed mechanism could help issue distress alerts, arrange medical assistance, keep families informed and support evacuations when required.
India has also raised the safety of seafarers at the United Nations. Jaishankar said New Delhi co-organised a UN Security Council meeting with Greece and the Philippines in November last year on protecting seafarers and participated in an April 2026 debate on the safety of waterways.
The new Group of Friends is intended to bring these concerns into a dedicated forum focused on the safety and security of commercial shipping and the people working aboard merchant vessels.
(With IANS inputs)
