Indian Seafarers in Search of Enhanced Security and Rights Protection

The maritime business, important for international commerce, closely depends on seafarers who face important challenges and vulnerabilities of their line of responsibility. India, contributing about 9.35% of world seafarers and rating third globally, has been going through lots of challenges in addressing these points. Incidents, similar to detentions of Indian seafarers in numerous delicate areas, piracy threats, and the latest seizure of the MSC Aries with 17 Indian crew members by Iranian forces off the UAE coast, spotlight the rising dangers confronted by Indian seafarers.

The detention of the MT Heroic Idun in 2022, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker with 24 Indian crew members, in Nigeria on ‘oil theft’ costs additional emphasizes the vulnerability of seafarers. Regardless of the crew’s eventual launch, the incident confirmed the unjust criminalization and challenges seafarers usually encounter because of flawed authorized methods. A survey revealed alarming statistics, with over 90% of seafarers missing authorized illustration, 81% feeling unfairly handled, 80% experiencing intimidation or threats, and 88.60% unaware of their authorized rights.

India’s proactive stance on these points was evident because it submitted papers to the 111th Session of the Worldwide Maritime Group’s (IMO) Authorized Committee (LEG) to be held this month, urging the IMO to handle seafarers’ safety and contract phrases. Nonetheless, the necessity for enhanced worldwide cooperation stays essential to safeguard seafarers and guarantee freedom of navigation, particularly with growing incidents involving Indian seafarers amid geopolitical tensions.

The Maritime Union of India highlighted the rising menace of maritime piracy, with a 40% enhance in kidnappings within the Gulf of Guinea in 2020 in comparison with the earlier yr. Throughout this era, 134 instances of assault, harm, and threats have been reported, together with 85 crew members being kidnapped and 31 held hostage. Such incidents, just like the kidnapping of twenty Indian nationals from the MT Duke off Togo by pirates, emphasised the risks confronted by seafarers. Furthermore, ship homeowners paying billions in ransom to pirates for the protected launch of kidnapped seafarers additional indicated the severity of the difficulty.

In response to those challenges, the Indian Authorities and the Nationwide Human Rights Fee (NHRC) have been proactive with their ‘human rights at sea’ initiative. Experiences spotlight numerous instances, together with seafarers held in international jails, stranded in international waters, and subjected to unlawful detentions. The UK-based Human Rights at Sea highlighted instances of human rights abuses in opposition to Indian seafarers, together with 200 Indian seafarers held in international jails, 65 stranded in Indonesia for 151 days, and over 82 stranded on three Mercator vessels with unpaid wages.

Indian Attraction to IMO Authorized Committee 

Forward of the 111th Session of the Worldwide Maritime Group’s (IMO) Authorized Committee (LEG) scheduled for April 22-26, India has submitted three papers addressing important points regarding seafarers’ safety, contract phrases, and broader maritime safety challenges. These submissions emphasize the significance of a complete strategy to maritime safety and goal to reinforce seafarers’ contractual circumstances.

India highlights that whereas the IMO has initiated collaborative efforts to fight maritime fraud, the present focus of the Committee stays totally on authorized elements associated to piracy and armed theft at sea. India stresses the urgent want for enhanced worldwide cooperation, collaboration, and coordination to handle a broader vary of maritime safety challenges, together with piracy, armed theft, extremist assaults, regional conflicts, and rising threats like drone assaults and the usage of maritime weapons.

Current incidents off the coast of Somalia, together with pirate assaults and hijackings, sign a possible resurgence of piracy within the area. In line with the Info Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Area, 4 hijacking incidents have been reported in December 2023. Notably, Somali pirates hijacked a dhow, later used to assault the Malta-flagged vessel MV Ruen, and hijacked the Liberian-flagged bulk service MV Lila Norfolk in January 2024. India emphasizes the important want for steady vigilance, proactive measures, and worldwide intervention to fight piracy, safeguard seafarers, and uphold freedom of navigation, in alignment with Article 100 of the United Nations Conference on the Legislation of the Sea. 

India additionally addresses the detrimental results of illegal or fraudulent practices within the recruitment and placement of seafarers on seafarers’ safety, well-being, and worldwide commerce. Since 2020, the Indian Maritime Administration has obtained over 200 studies of seafarer exploitation, resulting in abandonment, stranding, and different dangers. India underscores the pressing want for an internationally-coordinated mechanism to handle these points and guarantee seafarers’ entry to important protections and advantages as assured below the Maritime Labour Conference, 2006.

The Nationwide Human Rights Fee (NHRC) in India had already deliberated on this problem. Someday again, Dnyaneshwar Manohar Mulay, Member of the NHRC emphasised the necessity for proactive cooperation amongst stakeholders to handle human rights considerations of Indian seafarers throughout an Open Home Dialogue organized by the Fee. Mulay highlighted challenges in holding ship homeowners accountable for human rights violations in opposition to Indian seafarers working fleets below international registration to evade taxes. He confused the significance of creating mechanisms to guard and promote human rights for Indian seafarers within the maritime business. Amitav Kumar, Director Basic of Transport, additionally introduced the formation of a committee to handle complaints relating to sexual harassment of girls seafarers. Complaints may be filed on the DG Transport web site.

Seafarers search higher safety and safeguards 

Maritime piracy poses a big menace to Indian seafarers, who make up a big share of the worldwide maritime workforce. Presently, round 2.5 lakh Indian seafarers serve 1000’s of specialised cargo vessels throughout the globe as scores (semi-skilled employees) and highly-skilled service provider navy officers In line with the Worldwide Maritime Bureau, there was a greater than 10% enhance in critical incidents of maritime piracy and armed theft within the final 10 months. Pirates armed with weapons have managed to board roughly 90% of the focused cargo ships, placing seafarers’ lives at critical threat.

Piracy, rising from lawlessness on land, requires a complete, land-based resolution. Whereas non-public guards on service provider navy ships can act as a deterrent to piracy, it presents challenges in piracy-prone unstable oceans, as identified by Bjorn Hojgaard, CEO of Anglo-Japanese Univan Group, a serious employer of Indian seafarers. 

Experiences additionally indicated that Iranian transport corporations, in collaboration with worldwide recruiting corporations, are exploiting Indian seafarers by deceiving them into working in harmful circumstances with insufficient pay. Recruiters appeal to 1000’s of Indian males with guarantees of excessive salaries and alternatives in different Center Japanese international locations. Nonetheless, these seafarers are subjected to overwork, inadequate meals, and compelled involvement in transporting medication and cargo below worldwide sanctions. A number of had shared their experiences of being deceived by recruiters, highlighting the challenges confronted by seafarers who pay important charges to safe jobs overseas.  

Regardless of the dangers and challenges, many seafarers are decided to pursue their careers at sea, advocating for improved safety of their rights and well-being.

India represents solely 9.35% of the worldwide seafaring inhabitants however has the potential to broaden its share within the seafaring business to twenty% inside the subsequent 10 to twenty years. Ship administration corporations have performed a big position in growing India’s seafaring market, with practically 80% of Indian seafarers working for these corporations. 

Through the pandemic, Indian seafarers demonstrated resilience and professionalism, additional bolstering India’s place within the international maritime market. The Ukraine/Russia battle has additionally opened doorways for brand new gamers to enter the Indian maritime sector.

Indian seafarers are expressing heightened considerations about their security following latest harmful assaults on business ships within the Purple Sea area.  In line with some studies, the escalating assaults have left many Indian seafarers considering quitting their jobs because of rising safety considerations, emphasizing the necessity for enhanced safety and help from the federal government.

[Representational image, by NOAA, via Wikimedia Commons]

The views and opinions on this article are these of the writer.

Okay.M. Seethi is ICSSR Senior Fellow and the Tutorial Advisor of the Worldwide Centre for Polar Research at Mahatma Gandhi College, Kerala. He additionally served as Senior Professor and Dean of Worldwide Relations at MGU.