PM Modi highlights Plight of Indian Seafarers at G7 Summit, Calls for Secure Sea Routes
Narendra Modi used the global stage of the G7 Summit on Tuesday to call attention to a truly human tragedy - the loss of Indian seafarers caught in the crossfire of rising tensions in West Asia. Speaking in front of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Modi spoke not only about the economic toll of regional conflicts but about the lives of ordinary people who risk everything to keep global trade moving.
In Evian, France, the Prime Minister worried about the growing instability in the Middle East and the impact on maritime trade while speaking on rebuilding international solidarity in a session on rebuilding international solidarity. But he also pointed out that in addition to the economic figures and geopolitical points of view in the country’s economy, he also spoke of the human cost of the conflict.
“We welcome the progress made in peace efforts in West Asia. This conflict has caused loss of life and property in our friendly countries in the region,” Modi said. But shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest and most important maritime routes, has already affected the global economy.
For India, it is especially personal. Thousands of Indian seafarers work on merchant vessels around the world and are often months away from their families to carry out international trade. Recent events have once again highlighted the dangers they face when working in conflict-prone regions.
Modi said many of the Indian civilians have died in the current tension. He said seafarers are the link between nations and economies and to protect them is essential.
“The safety of seafarers, who link nations through global maritime trade, is our responsibility. We must ensure that sea routes remain secure and that seafarers can carry out their work without fear,” he said.
His comments came just days after three Indian nationals were killed in a US military strike on the oil tanker 'Settebello' in the Gulf of Oman. The ship might have had 28 people, including 24 Indians on board, they said. The tragedy spread across the maritime community and raised fresh fears for the safety of civilian crews working in a growing seaside environment and the safety of civilian crew members in an increasingly chaotic world.
Although the Prime Minister did not directly mention the attack, his words showed India’s concern over merchant sailors’ increasingly existential threats. For families who lost their loved ones, it was a tragedy that is painful to remember that geopolitical wars are often about something much more than the battlefield.
At a time of multiple crises the world is facing, Modi’s message was a reminder that people and things are real in every trade route, cargo shipment, and economic statistic that people live and work and exist whose lives depend on peace and security. So his calls for safer sea lanes were not just for the sake of commerce. it was for the protection of the men and women from whom global trade is possible.
As global shipping routes are increasingly challenged, India is in need of the global community to work together so that seafarers can carry out their duties and not be exposed to the kind of conflict they have no part in.
