Indian Seafarers Forced Into Hormuz War Zone, Union Warns

The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) has accused shipowners of violating seafarers’ rights by pressuring crews to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, a high-risk zone where recent Iranian attacks have escalated tensions. The union’s warning follows a missile strike by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on a bulk carrier late Monday, killing a chief engineer and underscoring the dangers in the critical chokepoint.

In a video statement released August 17, the captain of the Marshall Islands-flagged AM Pioneer alleged the vessel’s operator was “forcing us to cross Hormuz” despite the crew’s refusal. The 16 Indian seafarers, hired a month earlier for vessel surveys, had agreed to transit the strait only once it was officially declared safe—not under current conditions. The captain claimed the company later denied pressuring the crew, then removed him from command the next day.

Indian Seafarers Resist Forced Transit Through Strait of Hormuz After Fatal Attack

FSUI’s campaign highlights a clash between Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) protections—which grant seafarers the right to refuse unsafe voyages—and operational demands. India’s Directorate General of Shipping had already barred Indian crews from Hormuz transits as of July 15, citing Iranian attacks on ships bypassing its traffic scheme. The union insists: “No seafarer should risk death for owners’ profits. Immediate repatriation with full wages is non-negotiable.”

With Indian seafarers comprising over 10% of the global mariner workforce, FSUI warns many remain stranded on the strait’s western side, facing coercion to sail through a zone where Iranian drones and missiles have repeatedly targeted neutral vessels.

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