In the early hours of 13 June, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks for the second time in three days, registering a ‘strong protest’ over continued strikes by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman. Three Indian seafarers were confirmed dead after the Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker Jalveer was hit on 10 June; a subsequent attack damaged another ship with 20 Indian crew but caused no fatalities. The diplomatic démarche demands immediate measures to guarantee the safety of approximately 18,000 Indian nationals working aboard ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters.
![India summons US Chargé d’Affaires again as attacks on vessels with Indian crew escalate in Gulf of Oman]()
Amid such uncertainties, shipping firms and individual seafarers may need rapid assistance with travel documents, crew-change visas or emergency extensions. VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers streamlined online services that can expedite seafarer visas for Gulf ports, coordinate group applications and provide real-time status updates—helping companies redeploy crew safely and keep itineraries on track despite the evolving security environment.
The MEA statement warned that lethal force against civilian shipping “undermines safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region.” For global mobility and marine-crewing firms, the flare-up has triggered insurance surcharges, diversion of routes around the Strait and emergency repatriation planning. Several Indian shipping companies have begun routing vessels via the Cape of Good Hope, adding 10–12 days to voyages and raising freight costs. Manning agencies are reassessing contract clauses to include high-risk-zone allowances and accelerated rotation. Travel-risk managers should update employee-tracking systems for seafaring staff, verify war-risk coverage and issue advisories for corporate travellers to Oman and the UAE who may encounter heightened port security checks. The incident also revives calls within India to fast-track a national “Seafarer Crisis Support Fund” that has been languishing since the Red Sea hostage cases of 2024.
Amid such uncertainties, shipping firms and individual seafarers may need rapid assistance with travel documents, crew-change visas or emergency extensions. VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers streamlined online services that can expedite seafarer visas for Gulf ports, coordinate group applications and provide real-time status updates—helping companies redeploy crew safely and keep itineraries on track despite the evolving security environment.
The MEA statement warned that lethal force against civilian shipping “undermines safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region.” For global mobility and marine-crewing firms, the flare-up has triggered insurance surcharges, diversion of routes around the Strait and emergency repatriation planning. Several Indian shipping companies have begun routing vessels via the Cape of Good Hope, adding 10–12 days to voyages and raising freight costs. Manning agencies are reassessing contract clauses to include high-risk-zone allowances and accelerated rotation. Travel-risk managers should update employee-tracking systems for seafaring staff, verify war-risk coverage and issue advisories for corporate travellers to Oman and the UAE who may encounter heightened port security checks. The incident also revives calls within India to fast-track a national “Seafarer Crisis Support Fund” that has been languishing since the Red Sea hostage cases of 2024.
