At least 13 Indian sailors are among 15 crew members stranded aboard a cargo ship at Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port as drone and missile attacks continue in the Black Sea. The seafarers’ union has described their situation as “living under constant threat” in a conflict zone.
New Delhi: The Indian crew is on board the cargo vessel MV AMIR1, which is currently docked at Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port. The ship has been unable to leave due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and repeated attacks in the Black Sea region.
According to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), the sailors are living under constant threat from drone and missile strikes. The union has appealed to the central government, shipowners and vessel managers to take urgent steps to ensure the crew’s safety.
The Black Sea has become increasingly dangerous for merchant ships as the war has reached maritime shipping lines. Recent attacks have already killed several Indian seafarers on other vessels, raising fresh concerns about the safety of Indian crews in the region.
India is the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers to commercial shipping, after the Philippines. Indian sailors make up about 12.2 per cent of the global seafaring workforce, according to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026.
The government has previously advised Indian seafarers to assess risks carefully before taking jobs in the Black Sea. The latest incident has again highlighted the vulnerability of Indian crews in conflict zones and added to calls for stronger evacuation and protection measures.
