Following twin missile strikes that hit UAE-flagged tankers Al Bahiyah and Mombasa on 13 July—killing one Indian sailor and injuring at least nine—Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal convened an emergency review in New Delhi on Tuesday. A ministry note seen by Business Standard details sweeping measures: the Directorate General of Shipping must monitor every vessel carrying Indian crew, regardless of flag; shipowners must file daily threat-assessment reports; and dedicated liaison officers will be assigned to each affected mariner’s family. A live operational dashboard will fuse AIS, LRIT and satellite feeds to pinpoint ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The Indian Navy’s Information Management & Analysis Centre in Gurugram will supply classified risk maps, while MEA crisis cells in Tehran, Muscat and Dubai will coordinate medevac and repatriation. The order comes as global insurers raise war-risk premiums and some charterers divert cargoes around the Cape, adding up to 12 days to India-Europe sailings. Energy analysts warn that further escalation could push freight and tanker rates higher just as Indian refiners ramp up crude imports for the festival season. For employers of Indian seafarers—particularly in the oil-and-gas, cruise and offshore wind sectors—the new protocol means faster consular support but also tighter scrutiny of manning plans. Manning agencies must now certify that crew receive daily security briefings and can refuse voyages without penalty if risk levels exceed company thresholds. Sonowal reiterated that “commercial imperatives cannot override crew safety” and pledged that India will raise the issue at the next IMO Council meeting. He also urged Gulf Cooperation Council states to share radar data in real time—a long-standing Indian request still pending.
Source: Business Standard
