{"id":368244,"date":"2026-07-25T20:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=368244"},"modified":"2026-07-25T20:25:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:55:28","slug":"indias-foreign-policy-must-look-seaward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/indias-foreign-policy-must-look-seaward\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Foreign Policy Must Look Seaward"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 2- <\/strong>Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India\u2019s interests,<\/p>\n

Indian diaspora.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

India has emerged as one of the world’s largest suppliers of seafarers, with about 3.2 lakh seafarers (June 2025)<\/strong> and over 12% of the global workforce<\/strong>. However, Indian seafarers work across multiple countries, legal systems and conflict zones, making responsibility for their safety, legal protection and repatriation difficult to determine. As maritime security risks increase, protecting Indian seafarers has become an important dimension of India’s maritime governance and foreign policy.<\/p>\n

Why Indian Seafarers Need Greater Foreign Policy Attention<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. India’s Expanding Maritime Workforce:<\/strong> India had about 3.2 lakh seafarers<\/strong> in June 2025<\/strong>, nearly three times its strength in 2014. The 2026 Seafarer Workforce Report<\/strong> ranks India second after the Philippines<\/strong>, contributing just over 12% of the global seafaring workforce<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  2. Global Nature of Seafaring Employment:<\/strong> An Indian seafarer may be recruited in India, employed by a foreign company, work on a vessel registered in another country and operate in different international waters. This makes responsibility for their safety and rescue difficult to identify.<\/li>\n
  3. Mobile Workplace Creates Protection Challenges:<\/strong> Seafarers work abroad without permanently living abroad, and their workplace constantly changes. During one voyage, they may pass through several jurisdictions, while Indian missions may not know their location until an emergency occurs.<\/li>\n
  4. Foreign Policy Beyond Shipping:<\/strong> Seafarers are often treated as a shipping issue during normal times and become a consular issue only after a crisis. India needs to view them as an important foreign policy responsibility even before emergencies arise.<\/li>\n
  5. Human Cost of Maritime Conflicts:<\/strong> Since February 2026<\/strong>, 14 Indians<\/strong> have lost their lives in attacks linked to the West Asia conflict, including at least eight commercial seafarers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  6. Growing Threats Across Sea Routes:<\/strong> Maritime risks now extend beyond West Asia. Ships face missiles, drones and mines<\/strong> in the Black Sea and Red Sea<\/strong>, while piracy and hostage-taking continue around the Gulf of Aden and West Africa<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Challenges in Protecting Indian Seafarers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Fragmented Responsibility During Emergencies:<\/strong> Responsibility is divided among the flag State, shipowner, insurer, port authority and Indian mission<\/strong>. This often creates confusion over who should rescue, assist or repatriate Indian seafarers.<\/li>\n
    2. Crew Abandonment Remains a Serious Concern:<\/strong> According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation<\/strong>, 1,125 Indian seafarers were abandoned in 2025<\/strong>, the highest number reported for any country. Such cases often move between several authorities before any action is taken.<\/li>\n
    3. Territorial Consular System Has Limitations:<\/strong> Indian missions are organised according to national territories, while seafarers move continuously across international waters. This limits timely consular support during maritime emergencies.<\/li>\n
    4. Technology Has Limited Value During Emergencies:<\/strong> Ship-tracking systems and monitoring dashboards can locate a vessel, but they cannot confirm the crew’s condition, compel shipowners or flag States to act, or secure access to detained seafarers. Continuous tracking of every vessel is also not practical.<\/li>\n
    5. Weak Enforcement by Flag States:<\/strong> Some flag States register ships quickly but fail to enforce the Maritime Labour Convention<\/strong> when wages stop, crews are abandoned or repatriation becomes necessary.<\/li>\n
    6. Limited Protection in Maritime Agreements:<\/strong> India’s bilateral maritime agreements mainly recognise Indian certificates and improve employment opportunities. They provide little support for legal assistance, consular access and repatriation<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Government Initiatives and Recent Measures<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Seafarer First Response:<\/strong> Following recent attacks in West Asia, the Government launched the Seafarer First<\/strong> response to account for every Indian seafarer in the region, irrespective of the vessel’s flag.<\/li>\n
      2. Monitoring Dashboard and Family Support:<\/strong> A dedicated dashboard tracks ships, security threats and crew welfare. Every affected family is also assigned a liaison officer for regular communication.<\/li>\n
      3. Advisory for High-Risk Waters:<\/strong> On 15 July<\/strong>, the Government advised shipowners, managers and recruitment agencies not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> until further orders. Similar arrangements should continue whenever any maritime region becomes high-risk.<\/li>\n
      4. Continuous Security Monitoring:<\/strong> The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways<\/strong>, Directorate General of Shipping<\/strong>, Ministry of External Affairs<\/strong>, Indian Navy<\/strong>, Indian missions and other stakeholders are jointly monitoring the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and nearby waters<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      5. Maritime Security Protocols:<\/strong> Indian and foreign-flagged vessels carrying Indian seafarers have been advised to maintain the highest level of vigilance, follow maritime security protocols and continuously monitor official advisories.<\/li>\n
      6. Emergency Response Mechanism:<\/strong> Stakeholders have been directed to report every incident involving Indian seafarers immediately. Dedicated communication channels and round-the-clock emergency response systems remain operational to support seafarers and their families.<\/li>\n
      7. Assistance After the MT Settebello Attack:<\/strong> After the missile attack on MT Settebello<\/strong>, the Government coordinated with all concerned authorities, shipowners and recruitment agencies. The rescued crew were assisted, the deceased were identified for repatriation and \u20b910 lakh<\/strong> assistance was announced for each affected family through the Seafarers Welfare Fund Society<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        What More Should India Do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Standing Maritime Consular Protocol: <\/strong>India should establish a permanent maritime consular protocol that clearly identifies the authority responsible from the moment a distress signal is received. Whenever the system is activated, recruitment agencies should also provide updated crew details and voyage information received from shipowners and managers.<\/li>\n
        2. Dedicated Maritime Officers in Indian Missions:<\/strong> Indian missions in major shipping centres should appoint designated officers familiar with port authorities, hospitals, insurers and local lawyers. Such networks should be built before emergencies occur.<\/li>\n
        3. Ensure Compliance by Flag States:<\/strong> Some flag States register ships quickly but fail to enforce the Maritime Labour Convention<\/strong> when wages stop, crews are abandoned or repatriation is delayed. India should press them to fulfil these obligations.<\/li>\n
        4. Strengthen Bilateral Maritime Agreements:<\/strong> Existing maritime agreements mainly recognise Indian certificates and improve employment opportunities. They should also include legal assistance, consular access and repatriation<\/strong> for Indian seafarers.<\/li>\n
        5. Promote Common International Standards:<\/strong> India, the Philippines<\/strong> and Indonesia<\/strong> face similar challenges as major suppliers of global seafarers. They should jointly push for common standards on repatriation, detention and deployment in conflict zones<\/strong> through the International Maritime Organization<\/strong> and the International Labour Organization<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        6. Protect Commercial Shipping from Conflict:<\/strong> Civilian crew members should not become targets because of the cargo carried or disputes involving shipowners. India should oppose attacks on commercial shipping, regardless of who carries them out.<\/li>\n
        7. Strengthen Seafarers’ Right to Information:<\/strong> Before signing a contract, every seafarer should know the vessel’s real owner, trading route, sanctions status, insurance validity and any previous record of crew abandonment. This information should be shared before employment.<\/li>\n
        8. Protect the Right to Refuse High-Risk Deployment:<\/strong> If a vessel is later directed to enter a designated high-risk region, seafarers should have the right to refuse deployment and return home without any penalty.<\/li>\n
        9. Increase Recruitment Agency Accountability:<\/strong> The Directorate General of Shipping<\/strong> has prohibited licensed recruitment agencies from placing Indian seafarers on 366 vessels<\/strong> linked to crew abandonment unless prescribed conditions are met. Agencies should disclose this information before recruitment and face penalties for violations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

          India’s maritime ambitions should be measured not only by ports, shipping corridors and naval strength but also by how effectively it protects its seafarers. Indian citizens working at sea deserve timely protection and support wherever they are employed. A robust maritime foreign policy should ensure clear accountability, timely consular assistance, effective international cooperation and stronger legal safeguards<\/strong>. This will help safeguard Indian seafarers regardless of the flag under which their vessel sails.<\/p>\n

          Question for practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Discuss the challenges faced by Indian seafarers and examine the measures needed to strengthen their protection through India’s foreign policy.<\/p>\n

          Source: <\/strong>The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 2- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India\u2019s interests, Indian diaspora. Introduction India has emerged as one of the world’s largest suppliers of seafarers, with about 3.2 lakh seafarers (June 2025) and over 12% of the global workforce. However, Indian seafarers work across multiple countries, legal… Continue reading India\u2019s Foreign Policy Must Look Seaward<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[300,212,10498],"class_list":["post-368244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-governance","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368244\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}