A sad news has come to light regarding Indian sailors working in the Gulf region. Special Secretary of the Shipping Ministry has informed that 3 Indian sailors have died and 1 is missing in maritime accidents on foreign flagged ships. In recent times, rising tensions in the Gulf have led to attacks on foreign ships, in which 78 Indian sailors were stranded. Of these, 70 are safe and 4 are injured.
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What is the whole matter and which ship was attacked?
On 11 March 2026, a ship named ‘MT Safesea Vishnu’ was attacked by a remote-controlled speedboat near Basra, Iraq. An Indian sailor lost his life in this attack. This ship was running under the flag of Marshall Islands and belonged to an American company. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the security of more than 1 crore Indians living in West Asia is the biggest priority of the government. The condition of all the injured sailors is currently stable.
What is the status of Indian flagged ships and sailors?
According to the Indian Shipping Ministry, all 28 Indian-flagged ships and the sailors on board are completely safe. The government has created a control room which is working 24 hours. A Quick Response Team (QRT) has also been formed under the chairmanship of Captain PC Meena which will rescue the stranded people and provide medical help. The current status details are as follows:
Details Number Total Indian flagged ships 28 Total Indian sailors (on these ships) 778 24 ships west of the Strait of Hormuz (677 sailors) 4 ships east of the Strait of Hormuz (101 sailors)
New rules issued for the safety of sailors
The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has issued a new circular for the safety of seafarers. Under this, ships going to dangerous areas have been asked to take extra security. All ships will have to maintain 24-hour emergency contact and provide complete details of crew members. Special Secretary of the Ministry, Rajesh Kumar Sinha has made it clear that the functioning at the ports of the country is normal and there will be no interruption in trade.