DGMA Directs Shipowners to Avoid Deploying Indian Seafarers Through Strait of Hormuz
The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) recently advised ship owners not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz until further orders, reflecting concerns over the security situation in the region.
DGMA Advisory: Indian Seafarers and the Strait of Hormuz Crisis
The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) has directed ship owners, ship managers, and Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) companies to avoid deploying Indian seafarers on vessels undertaking voyages through the Strait of Hormuz until further orders. The advisory, issued as DGMA Circular No. 36 of 2026, came amid a sharp escalation in attacks on merchant vessels transiting the Gulf region during the ongoing West Asia conflict. The directive followed a string of attacks on ships including MT Al Bahiyah, MT Mombasa, GFS Galaxy, MT Wedyan, and Al Rekayyat, several of which carried large Indian crew complements. The trigger event was stark:
attacks on two vessels in the same week left one Indian seafarer dead and another injured aboard MT Al Bahiyah, while nine Indian nationals were injured aboard MT Mombasa
A separate strike on the Cyprus-flagged GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman killed an Indian marine engineer as well, underscoring that Indian crew are being affected regardless of a vessel's flag state.
About the DGMA
The Directorate General of Maritime Administration functions as the apex maritime authority of the Government of India, established in September 1949 and headquartered in Mumbai. It operates as an attached office of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and handles the full spectrum of executive matters relating to merchant shipping. Its core functions include implementing national shipping policy and legislation, promoting maritime education and training in coordination with the International Maritime Organization, and overseeing the registration, survey, and certification of vessels. It also examines and certifies Merchant Navy officers, issues licences to seafarers, conducts inspections of Indian-flagged and foreign vessels calling at Indian ports for compliance with international conventions, and carries the specific mandate of protecting the rights and welfare of Indian seafarers.
What the Advisory Says
The DGMA framed the advisory squarely around this protective mandate, stating that:
the safety, security and welfare of Indian seafarers, and the security of Indian ships, remain central to the mandate of the Directorate General of Maritime Administration
The circular directs masters of vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and adjoining waters to maintain heightened security vigilance, continuously monitor navigational warnings and security advisories, and implement all applicable Ship Security Measures, Ship Security Plans, and Company Security Procedures in accordance with the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code. Most significantly, it instructs companies to halt fresh deployment of Indian crew on any vessel whose voyage involves passage through the Strait until the advisory is withdrawn, and it asks Indian maritime stakeholders to conduct detailed risk assessments before planning voyages, placing crew safety above operational or commercial considerations.
Government Response and Scale of Exposure
The advisory did not emerge in isolation. Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had separately directed the DGMA to set up a vessel-by-vessel operational dashboard to track every Indian seafarer present in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, irrespective of the ship's flag, reflecting the fact that Indian nationals serve on vessels flagged to many different countries and are not necessarily protected by any single national jurisdiction. The scale of India's exposure to this crisis is considerable, since India is the world's third-largest supplier of seafarers, with more than three lakh Indian sailors employed on merchant vessels globally. Government sources indicate that at least thirteen Indian nationals have been killed in the Gulf region since the West Asia conflict escalated earlier this year, a toll that explains the urgency behind the DGMA's intervention.
Strategic Significance of the Strait
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most consequential maritime chokepoints, carrying nearly one-fifth of global oil supplies and serving as the principal route for energy shipments from the Gulf to Asian markets, including India. Its narrowness and proximity to conflict zones have historically made it vulnerable to disruption during periods of regional tension, and the current advisory illustrates how quickly a geopolitical crisis in West Asia can translate into direct human and economic costs for India, through both energy security risks and the safety of its large seafaring workforce.
Way Forward
The episode highlights the need for India to strengthen real-time tracking and rapid-response mechanisms for its seafarers across all flag states, not just Indian-flagged vessels, since the recent casualties occurred on foreign-flagged ships. It also points to the importance of coordinated diplomatic engagement with Gulf-region states and international shipping bodies to secure safe passage corridors, alongside contingency planning for crew repatriation and alternate routing of India-bound cargo, particularly LPG and crude tankers, that must otherwise transit the Strait. Continued close coordination between the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Ministry of External Affairs, and Indian diplomatic missions in the Gulf will remain central to managing the crisis until regional tensions ease.
Conclusion
The DGMA's advisory reflects the reality that India's seafaring workforce, the largest supplier base in the world after only a couple of nations, sits directly in the path of geopolitical conflict whenever tensions flare in the Gulf. By halting fresh deployment through the Strait of Hormuz and mandating heightened vigilance for vessels already transiting the region, the Directorate has prioritised the welfare of Indian citizens over short-term commercial continuity. The episode is a reminder that India's maritime security architecture, and its institutions such as the DGMA, must continue to evolve in tandem with the volatility of global chokepoints on which the country's energy security and merchant shipping workforce both depend.