After Hormuz pause, India urges seafarers working on Black Sea routes to 'carefully assess risks'

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday issued an advisory for seafarers working on the "highly volatile" Black Sea and related maritime routes.

Indian seafarers have now been asked to "carefully assess the prevailing security risks" before taking up maritime work in these areas, as at least five Indian nationals aboard commercial ships in the region have been killed since April 2026.

This comes as tensions continue to flare up in the Black Sea due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has led to missile and drone attacks on commercial ships.

In fact, just a day ago, the Palau-flagged merchant ship AGN Ragnar (IMO: 9148104) was attacked, which led to the disappearance of two of the four Indians onboard.

Struck by Russian drones off Ukraine's Odesa Port, a fire broke out aboard the vessel, which severely damaged it. Many crew members were evacuated, and efforts are on to find the two missing Indian nationals who had been aboard the vessel as well.

The MEA has also advised that Indian seafarers follow guidelines issued by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), which include advice on reporting suspicious maritime incidents and obtaining consular support.

Seafarers and vessels facing emergencies are requested to contact MMDAC (DG Communication Centre) at dgcommcentre-dgs@nic.in as well as +91-8657549760 / +91-2222613606 / +91-86575 49752, or IFC-IOR at ifc-ior.gurugram@navy.gov.in as well as +91-1242208385.

India's Embassy in Russia can be contacted at +7-9652773414, while that in Ukraine can be reached at +38-0933559958.

The Hormuz pause

This also comes after the DGMA on July 16 directed ship owners, ship managers, and recruitment companies not to deploy Indian-origin seafarers on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The DGMA order was based on the shipping ministry's 'Seafarer-First' response to maritime vigil after the ceasefire broke down in the four-month-long war in the Gulf.

Renewed US-Iran tensions had led to the deaths of at least two Indian seafarers, who had been travelling aboard three ships that faced attacks in the war-torn strait within the span of a week.

Given the state of events, it is yet to be seen whether the number of Indian casualties working in the Black Sea routes will increase, and whether that will bring about a Hormuz-like order from the DGMA for the Black Sea as well.