The latest attacks in the Black Sea and off Oman have again exposed the risks faced by Indian seafarers, who now form one of the largest national groups working aboard the world’s merchant fleet. In the past few days, three Indian crew members were among those injured when a commercial vessel was attacked in the Black Sea, while 11 Indians were injured in the strike on an oil tanker off Oman.
These incidents are part of a much larger story of India becoming the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers, with 311,936 maritime professionals accounting for 12.16% of the global workforce. That scale is turning the safety of Indian sailors into an issue of labour policy, maritime security and foreign policy.
