NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday called for stronger international cooperation and deterrence amid repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf, Red Sea and Black Sea.
Speaking at the inaugural ministerial-level meeting on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, Jaishankar said the threat extended well beyond the Indian sailors killed or missing in recent incidents.
“The examples that I cite involve Indian sailors. But those of many other nations have been casualties as well in such occurrences this year,” Jaishankar said. “From the Black Sea to the Red Sea to the Gulf, attacks on civilian shipping have become a growing cause of concern.”
“These actions that disrupt maritime commerce and cost innocent lives are simply indefensible,” he said. “We are here to not just highlight this dangerous trend but to urge the international community to close ranks and deter such attacks.”
Jaishankar cited the recent attack on the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao in the Gulf of Oman, in which an Indian sailor was killed. Ten days earlier, Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leaving an Indian crew member missing.
He also referred to attacks in the Black Sea, saying MV Omorfi was hit in Russian territorial waters on July 18, killing its Indian chief officer, while MV Golden Leo was struck after leaving Odesa the following day, killing four Indian seafarers.
He linked the attacks to wider vulnerabilities facing the global maritime system. “The world witnesses international trade worth more than a USD 140 billion a day. Oceans support more than 80% of those activities,” he said, stressing that interconnected supply chains make securing the maritime commons essential.
Nearly two million seafarers operate the world’s merchant fleets, Jaishankar said, facing not only lethal attacks but also prolonged confinement aboard vessels, delayed crew changes and repatriation, separation from families and psychological distress.
Despite existing international and regional frameworks, he called for “stronger and closer international cooperation”, noting that seafarers and the countries whose flags vessels fly are often different.
India had also co-organised an Arria Formula meeting at the UN Security Council last November with Greece and the Philippines on protecting seafarers, and participated in an April 2026 high-level open debate on maritime safety.
Against this backdrop, India and Liberia proposed the new Group of Friends as an inclusive platform bringing together major ship-owning states, leading ship registries and countries supplying large numbers of seafarers.
“We would like to chart a trajectory for the Group in a consultative manner,” Jaishankar said, proposing that members work towards modalities and terms of reference based on their discussions.
