India is one of the top three global suppliers of seafarers, with a trained workforce exceeding 320,000 skilled maritime professionals – roughly 12 per cent of the global maritime workforce. India ranks alongside major maritime suppliers, significantly contributing to the over $7 billion global seafarer market. Hence, it has become a major global hub for the maritime crewing business, providing a large, skilled and English-speaking merchant navy workforce for both cargo and cruise vessels. The crewing and ship management industry is heavily concentrated in cities like Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, with significant operations also in Chennai and New Delhi. It is the recruitment and placement service licence (RPSL) holder crewing companies, authorised by the Directorate General of Shipping of India, that primarily operate to recruit and place Indian seafarers on cargo ships.
The ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Persian Gulf region, including the Strait of Hormuz, have significantly impacted Indian RPSL companies, primarily due to the growing unwillingness of Indian seafarers to join cargo ships operating in the war-infested region. Also, the on-board crew of skilled and semi-skilled merchant navy mariners are now hesitating to continue with the service under their employment contracts. Indian seafarers just refuse to accept assignments on cargo ships trading in the Persian Gulf or going to the Persian Gulf region, including the Strait of Hormuz, because they consider this region highly unsafe. This has reduced the available talent pool of Indian seafarers, making it difficult for the Indian crewing companies to meet the contractual obligations with shipowners and seafarers on board the ships at present.
“Many Indian seafarers aboard cargo ships likely to sail through the Persian Gulf region are requesting an early ‘sign-off’ to avoid passing through the war-torn maritime region,” says Vineet Gupta, a leader of the Indian maritime industry and also a board member of The Maritime Association of Shipowners, Ship-managers and Agents, an Indian shipping association. “Indian crew members already aboard the cargo ships that are located in the Persian Gulf region are also getting anxious due to the escalating war-related tensions and uncertainty, and hence demand their repatriation at the earliest opportunity. This anxiety amongst Indian seafarers has led to operational disruptions amongst RPSL companies as immediate replacements of Indian seafarers are not always available, especially when other Indian seafarers are unwilling to join the duty due to obvious reasons”. Gupta feels that such a situation has created crew shortages and imbalances, forcing Indian RPSL companies to repeatedly search for seafarers who are willing to sail through the Persian Gulf region in the prevailing scenario, often at higher wages or with added incentives.
Wage raise demand
Another pressing issue faced by the Indian RPSL companies is the rise in wage expectations and compensation demands by seafarers. Some ship-owners are willing to pay additional wages to only those seafarers who agree to sail through the high-risk marine areas, including the Strait of Hormuz. Other seafarers, too, however, have started demanding similar additional benefits. Such an increase in the wage demand by Indian seafarers is putting pressure on the Indian RPSL companies nowadays, and it strains their relationships with the ship-owners who are resisting higher crewing costs. “This has also led to contractual and reputational challenges for the Indian RPSL companies,” adds Gupta. “Failure to supply crew on time or frequent crew changes can damage the credibility of Indian crewing agencies in the global shipping market in the long run”.
Moreover, mental stress issues and morale concerns amongst Indian seafarers aboard cargo vessels in and around the Persian Gulf region have further complicated the business operations of RPSL companies. The efficiency of Indian seafarers working on ships in the war-torn marine region under constant fear of losing life due to drone or torpedo attacks may tend to reduce drastically. The present Persian Gulf crisis has created a human resource crisis for the merchant shipping in India – especially where fear and safety concerns directly affect crew availability and their well-being. This situation reminds one of old times during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, which had impacted global shipping and caused a major recession in the shipping industry.
Indian RPSL companies and also crew managers elsewhere in the world cannot legally compel seafarers to work aboard cargo ships that are located in or are scheduled to sail through maritime war zones, where missiles, torpedoes, drones, mining and collateral naval actions are anticipated, says Gajanan Karanjikar, a master mariner, maritime consultant, author and thought leader of Indian shipping industry. “Given the orders issued by the Directorate General of Shipping of India, Indian seafarers now have strong legal grounds to refuse sailing in these regions. It is no longer just a matter of willingness but also one of the international labour laws and contractual protection,” he adds.
Under ‘International Bargaining Forum’ agreements, seafarers of all nationalities, including Indian merchant navy officers, have the explicit right to refuse transit through the Persian Gulf, including the Strait of Hormuz, with full repatriation and two months’ basic wage compensation, informs Deb Goswami, a stalwart of the Indian maritime industry. Maritime Union leaders note that entire crews have refused assignments, only to be replaced by others willing to accept modest danger money. Economic pressures push some seafarers to sail, but fear after recent attacks and the fresh blockade has increased refusals, straining manning agencies and raising the operational costs of RPSL companies.
“India must treat Indian seafarers’ safety in West Asia as a national priority and not merely consider it as a grave shipping issue,” argues Milind Kandalgaonkar, general secretary, National Union of Seafarers of India. “Our seafarers are not bargaining chips in the prevailing geopolitical confrontation. They are civilian workers sustaining energy supply chains, trade routes and national economic stability. Indian government, Indian RPSL companies, shipowners and the international maritime community must act with urgency, coordination, and humanity before another preventable tragedy takes place.” He stresses the need for real-time vessel tracking for Indian crews, mandatory reporting by Indian RPSL companies, a strong seafarer-family communication mechanism, transparent emergency protocols and faster intervention where wages, sign-off, shore safety or repatriation becomes a problem. “In a conflict zone, advisories are necessary, but execution is everything,” he adds.
Constant monitoring
From an Indian perspective, the ongoing US war crisis is not only a security issue but also a humanitarian one for Indian seafarers, Kandalgaonkar argues. The government of India has been publicly stating that Indian seafarers in the region are being monitored closely in coordination with Indian RPSL companies. Recent official briefings have also noted that Indian-flagged vessels and hundreds of Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region, while more than 2,000 Indian seafarers have already been safely repatriated from the Persian Gulf waters, including the Strait of Hormuz. There must be continuous diplomatic engagement with all relevant states in the region to secure safe passage, de-escalation and humanitarian protection for crews. India should maintain a standing evacuation and contingency framework for seafarers in conflict zones – not an improvised response after the crisis worsens. Indian embassies and missions must remain fully accessible to stranded Indian crew for documentation, shelter, communication, wages and repatriation support. No Indian seafarer should be compelled by any RPSL company, directly or indirectly, to sail through a war-torn maritime corridor without informed consent, proper compensation and guaranteed repatriation rights. These expectations align with the gravity of the threat already acknowledged by India’s official advisories and warnings issued by international maritime organisations. The Indian shipping industry is under severe strain, and its survival is expensive and fragile, too. Incidentally, these issues have added to the woes of Indian carriers, which bring crude, gas and oil to the country.
Unfortunately, Indian seafarers in West Asia are once again paying the price of geopolitical failures. After the collapse of Iran-US talks round one in Islamabad, tensions escalated sharply, including new disruptions to shipping linked to Iranian ports. At the same time, the wider maritime picture remains deeply fragile. Indian seafarers and RPSL companies must never become collateral victims of the geopolitical conflict.