India has requested Russia and Ukraine to ensure that safe passage of commercial ships through the Black Sea is established. This request has been made due to attacks on commercial vessels and threats posed to Indian maritime workers.
Risks of attacks on ships
New Delhi has announced that negotiations are ongoing with both parties. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randeep Jaiswal, said last week: "Targeting shipping and maritime workers in this region must stop, and free and unhindered navigation in international waters must be restored as soon as possible."
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According to an industry report from 2026, India constitutes over 12 percent of the global maritime workforce, which includes 311,936 maritime professionals. Recent attacks on commercial ships around the Black Sea have posed significant risks to civilian crews.
Recent attacks and their consequences
The Turkish-flagged cargo ship MV Royad Mammadov, carrying a shipment of grain from Ukraine, caught fire and sank after an attack on Monday, resulting in the deaths of two crew members. Three Indians aboard the ship survived but were injured and were transferred to Romania for treatment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has held Russia responsible for this attack. The Moscow Defense Ministry also separately announced that it targeted two Ukrainian cargo ships in the Black Sea but did not specify the names of these vessels.
Recently, a Liberian-flagged tanker named Aframax Rio was also attacked by unmanned ships off the coast of the Black Sea in Russia. This ship had 23 Indian nationals on board, all of whom were rescued.
Anil Wadhwa, a former Indian diplomat, stated that India's proposal to stop attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea includes energy infrastructure and safe passage for grain and energy exports. He added that achieving a solid guarantee entirely depends on the cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine in this regard.
India has close ties with Russia and expanding interactions with Ukraine, which gives New Delhi access to both parties, but this does not guarantee an agreement on shipping.
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