India has advised ship owners and managers to avoid hiring Indian nationals on vessels they plan to send through the Strait of Hormuz, as attacks on commercial vessels have intensified in the area since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire all but collapsed.
In an advisory for Indian maritime stakeholders, India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration late on Wednesday directed “Ship Owners, Ship Managers and RPSL Companies to avoid deploying Indian seafarers on vessels undertaking voyages through the Strait of Hormuz until further orders.”
The move comes “in view of the heightened security situation in the Gulf region,” the directorate said, after earlier this week one Indian crew member died after Iran struck two UAE-managed oil supertankers in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz, in one of the biggest attacks in the recent re-escalation in the region.
The key directives of the Indian advisory to stakeholders include no deployment of Indian seafarers on vessels undertaking voyages involving passage through the Strait of Hormuz until further orders, as well as heightened security vigilance in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and adjoining waters.
“DGMA continues to closely monitor the evolving security situation and remains committed to safeguarding the safety, security and welfare of Indian seafarers,” the Indian authority said.
Following the re-escalation in regional hostilities in recent days, the Joint Maritime Information Center reaffirmed on Tuesday its regional threat level for the Strait of Hormuz at “severe”, which it had raised last week after the first signs emerged of the collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
“The regional maritime security threat level remains SEVERE with further deliberate hostile activity likely under current conditions,” JMIC said.
“Mariners should expect sustained naval presence, increased IRGC hailing and monitoring along transit routes, and possible diversion of AIS-equipped vessels to the northern Iranian-controlled route. Enhanced force protection measures, increased VHF hailing, and congestion near anchorage areas should also be anticipated.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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