India starts tracking of seafarers after Hormuz attacks

The Indian government has launched a comprehensive emergency response to protect its seafarers following deadly missile attacks on two merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The initiative, announced on July 14, includes a real-time tracking dashboard and dedicated support for crew members and their families amid heightened tensions in West Asia.

The measures were ordered by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal during a high-level inter-ministerial review meeting. The meeting was convened after attacks on the vessels MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa, which together had a crew of 46, including 30 Indian nationals. One Indian seafarer was killed aboard the MT Al Bahiyah, and another was injured. On the MT Mombasa, nine Indian crew members sustained injuries, two of them seriously.

Minister Sonowal directed the Directorate General of Shipping to establish an operational dashboard to monitor every Indian seafarer on vessels in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, regardless of the ship's flag. The dashboard will provide real-time data on vessel position, ownership, cargo, crew strength and welfare, threat assessments, planned voyages,...