Narendra Modi proposes BRICS emergency network to protect seafarers in war zones

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a shared emergency support network among BRICS nations to protect and rescue seafarers caught in conflict zones such as the Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, Modi argued that global trade cannot function without securing the lives of the people who move it. Under his proposal, member countries would link their maritime authorities and diplomatic missions to coordinate distress alerts, medical evacuations, and communications with sailors' families.

The initiative comes at a critical time for India, which has become one of the world's primary suppliers of commercial crews. Indian nationals make up more than 12 per cent of the global maritime workforce—over 311,000 active seafarers—ranking second only to the Philippines.

Mounting casualties at sea

As wars have spilled into major shipping corridors over the last nine months, Indian crews have increasingly found themselves in the line of fire. At least 15 Indian seafarers have been killed in recent months.

In West Asia, ten died following attacks, including eight off the coast of Oman near the entrance to the Persian Gulf. In the Black Sea, five Indian sailors were killed in July during a 48-hour window, following separate strikes on the vessels Omorfi and Golden Leo near Odesa.

While Modi pitched the international network to BRICS leaders—including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian—New Delhi is already moving to shore up protections at home. Hours after Modi’s speech, the shipping ministry released a domestic action plan built around its "seafarer-first" initiative.

New rules for high-risk transits

Under recent rules, Indian ship managers must obtain explicit consent from individual crew members before routing vessels through the high-risk Strait of Hormuz. They are also required to notify national communications offices before any such transit.

Since August, shipping lines have withdrawn more than 4,100 Indian seafarers from the region, though around 173 remain in the Persian Gulf. Additionally, the government has launched e-Navik, a digital grievance platform designed to let sailors file distress tickets directly.

For India, the diplomatic push at BRICS is highly deliberate. Two of the grouping's major members, Russia and Iran, hold sway over the very waters where commercial vessels are being targeted. Modi held bilateral talks with Pezeshkian on Friday to raise the issue of maritime safety, having previously raised the safety of Indian sailors in the Black Sea with Putin.

Representatives of Indian seafarers have welcomed the proposal but noted that the key lies in getting these powers to act. Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen Union of India, pointed out that merchant sailors carry no weapons and should never be targets. He urged Russia and Iran to support the families of those who have already lost their lives.