An attack on a commercial tanker off Oman has put another Indian seafarer at the centre of the widening security crisis around regional shipping routes.
What happened
The Panama-flagged oil tanker MT El Gaia was attacked off Oman. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said 14 Indian crew members were on board. Thirteen were rescued, while search and rescue efforts continued for one missing Indian national.
India’s response
The MEA condemned the attack and said the Indian embassy in Oman was coordinating with local authorities. It also repeated India’s call for de-escalation and dialogue, saying the targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers, civilians and civilian infrastructure was unacceptable.
Why Indian workers are especially exposed
India supplies a large number of seafarers to global shipping. That means conflicts affecting merchant routes in West Asia, the Red Sea or other strategic waterways can quickly become an Indian worker-safety issue even when India is not a direct party to the fighting.
The wider toll
The Indian Express reported that ten Indian seafarers are among Indians killed so far in the West Asia conflict, while additional Indian seafarers have died in strikes on merchant vessels in the Black Sea.
A new proposal
At the BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network aimed at protecting crews facing security risks linked to regional conflicts. The latest incident gives that proposal added urgency.
Bottom line
The missing seafarer is one person, but the risk is much larger: global commerce still depends on crews sailing through increasingly dangerous waters.
Source: The Indian Express
