India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) has warned Indian-flagged ships—and all foreign vessels carrying Indian crew—to exercise “the highest degree of caution” when operating in the Black Sea and adjoining waters. Circular 41 of 2026, published on 23 July 2026, follows a deadly strike earlier this week in which four Indian nationals were reported killed aboard a grain carrier off the Ukrainian port of Odesa. The advisory instructs shipowners to: • Re-route voyages where practicable to avoid the north-western Black Sea. • Ensure that Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) and AIS transponders remain active at all times and that citadels are prepared for crew refuge. • Maintain daily contact with the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (Mumbai) and report any hostile activity within six hours. Indian recruitment and placement services (RPSL) companies must now obtain written confirmation from masters that the route risk assessment has been shared with crew before sign-on. Failure to comply could trigger licence suspension under India’s Merchant Shipping Rules 2025. Why it matters for mobility managers: India supplies roughly 9 percent of the world’s seafarers. Many large Indian corporates—including Adani, Essar and TATA NYK—operate bulk vessels trading in the Black Sea grain corridor. Insurance premiums for calls at Mykolaiv and Chornomorsk have already jumped 30 percent since April; the DGMA alert is expected to push war-risk surcharges even higher. Practical guidance: Crewing departments should immediately review crew-change plans. DGMA protocol allows owners to divert to Turkish ports for off-signing Indian crew without penalty. Employers should also remind mariners to update their Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) policies, as standard cover excludes war zones unless riders are added.
Source: The Economic Times & DGMA notice
