India Restricts Placement of Its Seafarers on Vessels Transiting the Strait of Hormuz

The Indian government has ordered ship owners, ship managers, and recruitment companies to avoid placing the country’s seafarers on vessels making voyages through the Strait of Hormuz. The order was issued on Wednesday evening local time by the Directorate General of Shipping, India’s highest maritime authority. According to the directive, recent incidents involving attacks on merchant ships have significantly increased the risks faced by seafarers and commercial vessels transiting conflict-affected areas. Tensions in the Middle East, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, have been sharpened by renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran. In the last three days, two Indian seafarers have been killed and several others injured in attacks on ships in the region.