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Seafarer safety and freedom of navigation: two Indians missing off Oman

By CAShorts DeskPublished Sources: Ministry of External Affairs statement of 12 October 2026 (via The Indian Express and Hindustan Times); The Hindu; Hindustan Times (flag of MT Petro Dolphin, seafarer figures)

Seafarer safety and freedom of navigation: two Indians missing off Oman
Illustration (AI-generated)

A drone struck the tanker MT Petro Dolphin at Sohar Anchorage, Oman, on 11 October 2026; two of its 11 Indian seafarers are missing. A projectile set the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera ablaze; its 11 Indian crew are safe. On 12 October the Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attacks, saying freedom of navigation must be upheld under international law.

Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; Prelims · Geography; GS2 · Foreign Policies & the Diaspora

Why it matters

An Indian cadet on a foreign-flagged tanker works under another country's law, yet in a crisis turns to India's embassy and shipping administration for help. Two Indian seafarers are still being sought off Oman. With over 18,000 Indian seafarers on vessels in West Asia, per the Hindustan Times, each attack on merchant ships puts Indian workers at risk and tests how far India can protect citizens on ships it does not flag. The shipping lanes near the Strait of Hormuz also carry much of the crude oil India imports from the Gulf. India's call to uphold freedom of navigation under international law serves both: safe passage for every ship keeps its sailors and its imports moving.

Prelims pointers

  • UNCLOS: adopted 1982, in force 1994; India ratified it in 1995. Territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, contiguous zone 24, exclusive economic zone 200.
  • Flag State under UNCLOS: a ship flies one State's flag, needs a genuine link with it, and on the high seas is under that State's exclusive jurisdiction.
  • Open registry: a flag State that registers ships owned by foreign nationals or companies; the Marshall Islands runs one.
  • Transit passage (UNCLOS Part III): all ships and aircraft may pass continuously and expeditiously through straits used for international navigation; bordering States may not suspend it.
  • Innocent passage (territorial sea): ships only, no overflight; submarines must surface and show their flag; the coastal State may suspend it temporarily for security.
  • Directorate General of Maritime Administration (formerly the Directorate General of Shipping), Mumbai: attached office of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; certifies seafarers and licenses their recruitment agencies.
  • Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (International Labour Organization): seafarers' wages, hours and repatriation. STCW Convention (International Maritime Organization): seafarers' training and certification.
  • Sohar lies on Oman's Batinah coast, on the Gulf of Oman, which links the Strait of Hormuz with the Arabian Sea.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the nationality of merchant ships under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), consider the following statements:

1. The State whose nationals form most of a ship's crew exercises jurisdiction over its administrative, technical and social matters.

2. A ship sails under one State's flag and may not change it mid-voyage, save on a real transfer of ownership or change of registry.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 only

1 is incorrect: UNCLOS places that duty on the flag State, the State whose flag the ship flies, whatever the nationality of its crew. 2 is correct: a ship sails under the flag of one State only and may not change it during a voyage or in a port of call, save on a real transfer of ownership or change of registry.

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