India, Liberia launch seafarer-safety 'group of friends' on UNGA sidelines
India and Liberia launched a 'group of friends' on the safety and security of shipping and seafarers on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly on September 25, 2026. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called recent attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf and Red Sea simply indefensible, noting such incidents are no longer exceptional.
Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS2 · Groupings & Agreements; GS2 · Foreign Policies & the Diaspora
Why it matters
An Indian sailor often works on a ship that is owned in one country and registered in another. When that ship is hit in the Strait of Hormuz or the Black Sea, protecting him, tracing him or bringing him home needs several governments to act together. India supplies about one in eight of the world's seafarers, so it loses lives when merchant ships are attacked far from its shores. The group gives India, the largest ship registry and the big ship-owning states one table at which to press for an end to such attacks and for quicker crew changes and repatriation. Ships carry about four-fifths of world trade, so attacks at sea also threaten supplies of food, fuel and fertiliser on land.
Prelims pointers
- International Maritime Organization (IMO): a specialised agency of the United Nations, headquartered in London; its founding convention was adopted in Geneva in 1948 and entered into force in 1958.
- ISPS Code: the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, in force since 1 July 2004 under the IMO's International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
- STCW Convention, 1978: the IMO convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers; in force since 1984, with major revisions in 1995 and 2010.
- Maritime Labour Convention, 2006: adopted by the International Labour Conference of the ILO; in force since 20 August 2013; it consolidates 37 earlier maritime labour conventions.
- Flag State: under Articles 91 and 94 of UNCLOS, a ship has the nationality of the State whose flag it flies; that State answers for manning, labour conditions and training.
- Transit passage: under Articles 38 and 44 of UNCLOS, ships have a right of passage through straits used for international navigation, and it shall not be suspended.
- Strait of Hormuz: lies between Iran and Oman; connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
- Bab-el-Mandeb: the strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa; connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Practise a UPSC-style question
With reference to the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, consider the following statements:
1. It was launched in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
2. It is co-chaired by India and Panama, which has one of the world's largest ship registries.
3. Its members intend to take up shipping and seafarer issues at the International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
1 is correct: India and Liberia launched the group at a ministerial-level meeting in New York on September 25, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly. 2 is incorrect: the co-chairs are India and Liberia; India is a major source of seafarers and Liberia has the largest ship registry, ahead of Panama. 3 is correct: the External Affairs Minister said the members will advance these issues at the UN, most importantly at the IMO and the ILO.