India Calls Attacks on Ships and Sailors in the Gulf 'Unacceptable'
At the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), India's External Affairs Minister said attacks on commercial ships and sailors are "simply unacceptable".
The statement came amid rising attacks on merchant ships passing through the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
A merchant vessel was hit by torpedoes near the Musandam peninsula in the Gulf of Oman; one Indian sailor on board died, out of a crew that included 19 Indian nationals.
A tanker was struck while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and one Indian crew member from that ship is missing.
India and Liberia jointly launched a "Group of Friends on the Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers" at the UN, bringing together countries that want safer sea lanes and better protection for sailors.
India supplies over 12% of the world's seafarers, the second-highest share of any country after the Philippines, so attacks on ships hit Indian sailors more than almost any other nation's workforce.
Freedom of Navigation and the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
The world's oceans do not belong to any one country. A single set of rules called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, tells every country what it can and cannot do at sea. It decides how far a country's power reaches into the ocean, and it protects the right of every ship, from any nation, to sail through most of the world's waters without being stopped or attacked. This right is called "freedom of navigation".
The attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman are a direct challenge to the freedom of navigation that UNCLOS is meant to guarantee. India's statement at the UN and its new "Group of Friends" with Liberia are attempts to build political pressure and cooperation to protect this freedom, especially because Indian seafarers are proportionally among the most exposed to these risks.
Strait of Hormuz: Geography and Strategic Significance
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow stretch of water between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and then to the Arabian Sea. It is only about 33 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, but it is one of the most important shipping routes on Earth because a huge share of the world's oil and gas passes through it every day.
The vessel hit by torpedoes near Musandam and the tanker struck inside the Strait of Hormuz are both examples of attacks happening in or near this critical choke point, which is exactly why India and other countries are alarmed: a disruption here affects global energy supplies and the safety of thousands of seafarers, a disproportionate number of whom are Indian.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The International Maritime Organization, or IMO, is the United Nations agency responsible for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. It sets global rules so that ships from different countries can operate safely and predictably wherever they sail.
As the UN's dedicated shipping body, the IMO is a natural forum for India's push, alongside Liberia, to build international cooperation for safer shipping lanes and better protection for the seafarers who crew the world's merchant fleet, a large share of whom are Indian.
- India supplies about 12% of the world's seafarers, the second-largest share after the Philippines
- One Indian sailor died in the torpedo attack on a vessel near Musandam, out of a crew including 19 Indians
- One Indian crew member is missing after an attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz
- UNCLOS: signed 1982, in force since 1994, 171 parties as of 2026
- Roughly 20 to 25% of world oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz