NEW DELHI: Conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea have claimed the lives of 15 Indian seafarers, while two remain missing in 57 separate incidents over the past three months, India’s maritime regulator, Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), said on Thursday, describing the current geopolitical situation as “extremely challenging”.Addressing the National Port Security Conference in the capital, DGMA Shyam Jagannathan said drone and missile attacks on defenceless merchant vessels had become rampant in parts of the Black Sea. “Piracy off the coast of Somalia is reappearing. The Houthi security threat, which accounted for more than 154 incidents in 2024, has resurfaced,” he said.Jagannathan said the conflicts had significantly increased global logistics costs. He said since the end of Feb, the DGMA has been in an extremely high state of alert.The regulator said it had strengthened coordination for rescue operations, vessel movements and issuance of advisories, while ensuring compliance with best management practices for piracy response, validation of citadel preparedness and coordination among multiple security agencies.
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Following directions from shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the DGMA has also put in place a mechanism to track every Indian seafarer operating in high-risk waters, making the administration accountable for their safety, security and early repatriation.Speaking at the conference, Sonowal said as India’s maritime footprint expands, “the responsibility to secure it also grows”.“A modern port cannot be judged only by its capacity, efficiency or turnaround time. It must also be judged by how safe, secure and resilient it is. Cyber threats, drones, supply chain disruptions and risks to digital networks, information systems and critical infrastructure have added entirely new dimensions to maritime security,” he said, adding that the guiding principle should be “security by design”.Later in the day, commenting on the evolving geopolitical situation, another senior DGMA official said Russia’s response in the Black Sea had become “more severe”.
