Indian Seafarers

October 18, 2026 10:57 AM

All 9 Indian seafarers safe as drone-hit tanker reaches Romanian port: Embassy

A chemical tanker carrying nine Indian seafarers, which was hit by a drone at an anchorage off Romania earlier this week, has reached the Port of Constanta, with all crew members safe, the Indian mission in Bucharest said on Saturday. Ambassador Manoj Kumar Mohapatra spoke with Romanian search and rescue bodies, including SAR Romania and MRCC Constanta, as well as the chief security officer of the tanker YARA J, the Indian Embassy in Romania said in a post on X. “It was confirmed that all ni...

October 16, 2026 10:42 AM

India condemns attacks on commercial shipping, calls for protection of seafarers at UN

India has strongly condemned attacks on commercial shipping and maritime navigation amid escalating tensions in West Asia, describing the strikes as “legally and morally indefensible” and calling for the safety and security of seafarers, including Indian nationals. Addressing the United Nations Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, called for an immediate de-es...

October 8, 2026 1:28 AM

India condemns attacks on commercial ships in Black Sea, seeks immediate cessation

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday condemned the attacks on three commercial vessels — Togo-flagged Alfa Watan, Palau-flagged Able and Liberia-flagged Aframax Rio — in the Black Sea, expressing deep concern over the continuing incidents targeting commercial shipping. Of the 18 crew members onboard Able, seven are Indian nationals, one of whom was injured in the attack. With the assistance of Bulgarian authorities, all crew members were evacuated and are currently stationed ...

October 7, 2026 12:08 PM

Drone sinks ship off Bulgaria, as fears grow about hybrid attacks by Russia

The crew of a merchant ship was missing on Tuesday after the vessel sank in the Black Sea off NATO member Bulgaria following a drone strike that Prime Minister Rumen Radev described as a gross violation of international law. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack by air and sea drones about 70 nautical miles (130 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, but there are growing concerns about hybrid attacks by Russia as it wages war in Ukraine. Shipping sources said...

October 7, 2026 11:13 AM

23 Indian seafarers reported safe after Ukrainian drone attack sets fire to oil tanker off Russian coast

A fire broke out on a Liberian-registered oil tanker manned entirely by an Indian crew off the Russian Black Sea coastline following a Ukrainian drone strike, as stated by the Russian Transport Ministry. According to the ministry, the vessel was targeted by "naval drones", which subsequently ignited crude oil within the Black Sea. The blaze raged with such intensity that emergency responders were initially unable to suppress the flames. The Russian Transport Ministry stated that firefighters w...

September 30, 2026 12:25 PM

12 Vessels of Indian Interest Currently in Persian Gulf Area: MEA

Six India-flagged commercial vessels and six foreign-flagged vessels of Indian interest are currently in the Persian Gulf area, west of the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said around 163 Indian seafarers are currently onboard these 12 vessels. “ We have at this point in time, six India-flagged ships, commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, west of (the Strait of) Hormuz. We also have six foreign-flagged vessels, wh...

September 24, 2026 9:31 AM

UAE sanctions Bank Melli Iran; airline suspensions add to economic pressure on Tehran

The US-Iran conflict has entered a new phase this week. While economic pressure on Iran is mounting, diplomatic contacts between the two have also resumed at UNGA in New York. In the UAE, the Central Bank (CBUAE) has imposed strict enforcement measures on the UAE branches of Bank Melli Iran. All UAE branches of the Iranian bank have been prohibited from conducting financial transactions to and from Iran, including trade finance and fund transfers. The action followed violations of UAE laws and...

July 31, 2026 8:20 AM

‘Absolutely unacceptable’: EAM Jaishankar discusses attacks on Indian seafarers with Ukraine Foreign Minister

India on Thursday condemned attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea following the death of an Indian seafarer, with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar reiterating that such attacks are "absolutely unacceptable" and urging greater emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the ongoing conflict. In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said he spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha after their recent overseas engagements and discussed attacks on commercial shipping and Indi...

June 13, 2026 9:12 AM

‘Not justified’: EAM Jaishankar speaks to Rubio, lodges protest over killing of 3 Indian sailors in US Naval attack

India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar spoke to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and lodged a strong diplomatic protest with the United States after the latter's Navy strike on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman killed three Indian seafarers. The EAM while speaking to his US counterpart Rubio on Friday evening also added that "such lethal actions against commercial shipping are 'not justified'". In a post on social media platform X, EAM Jaishankar wrote, "Spoke to US Secre...

June 12, 2026 5:42 PM

India lodges ‘strong protest’ with US over attacks on vessels carrying Indian mariners

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday summoned US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks to lodge strong protest regarding the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives. The MEA once again conveyed its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping and said that such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safe...