India has proposed an international emergency network to coordinate assistance for seafarers caught in armed conflicts, attacks and other crises affecting commercial shipping. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the proposal at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He called for a Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network linking maritime authorities and diplomatic missions from participating countries.
The proposed system would allow authorities to issue distress alerts and coordinate medical assistance, communication with families and crew evacuations when seafarers face emergencies.
The initiative comes as merchant crews increasingly operate in areas affected by military activity and geopolitical tensions. Recent incidents in the West Asia and Black Sea regions have highlighted the difficulties of assisting crews when vessels come under attack or become stranded in high-risk areas.
India has already introduced measures to improve its response to such incidents. The Directorate General of Shipping recently launched a Seafarer Tracking Module on the e-NAVIK platform to help authorities monitor Indian seafarers in high-risk areas and coordinate assistance during emergencies.
India is a major source of maritime labour. Modi said the country accounts for more than 12% of the world’s trained seafarers and has more than 300,000 active seafarers.
The proposed network would bring together parties that may need to respond during a crisis, including shipowners, shipmanagers, crewing companies, flag administrations, port authorities and diplomatic missions.
It could support crews requiring evacuation, medical treatment, communication with relatives or repatriation. The proposal also addresses concerns over deploying seafarers in conflict zones, including crew consent, emergency communication and evacuation arrangements.
India recently advised shipowners and shipmanagers against deploying Indian seafarers through the high-risk Strait of Hormuz, while Indian crews remain in the Persian Gulf.
