Sailing through troubled waters in International Shipping News 28/04/2026 India is one of the top three global suppliers of seafarers, with a trained workforce exceeding 320,000 skilled maritime professionals – roughly 12 per cent of the global maritime workforce. India ranks alongside major maritime suppliers, significantly contributing to the over $7 billion global seafarer market. Hence, it has become a major global hub for the maritime crewing business, providing a large, skilled and English-speaking merchant navy workforce for both cargo and cruise vessels. The crewing and ship management industry is heavily concentrated in cities like Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, with significant operations also in Chennai and New Delhi. It is the recruitment and placement service licence (RPSL) holder crewing companies, authorised by the Directorate General of Shipping of India, that primarily operate to recruit and place Indian seafarers on cargo ships. The ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Persian Gulf region, including the Strait of Hormuz, have significantly impacted Indian RPSL companies, primarily due to the growing unwillingness of Indian seafarers to join cargo ships operating in the war-infested region. Also, the on-board crew of skilled and semi-skilled merchant navy mariners are now hesitating to continue with the service under their employment contracts. Indian seafarers just refuse to accept assignments on cargo ships trading in the Persian Gulf or going to the Persian Gulf region, including the Strait of Hormuz, because they consider this region highly unsafe. This has reduced the available talent pool of Indian seafarers, making it difficult for the Indian crewing companies to meet the contractual obligations with shipowners and seafarers on board the ships at present. Many Indian seafarers aboard cargo ships likely to sail through the Persian Gulf region are requesting an early ‘sign-off’ to avoid passing through the war-torn maritime region,” says Vineet Gupta, a leader of the Indian maritime industry and also a board member of The Maritime Association of Shipowners, Ship-managers and Agents, an Indian shipping association. “Indian crew members already aboard the cargo ships that are located in the Persian Gulf region are also getting anxious due to the escalating war-related tensions and uncertainty, and hence demand their repatriation at the earliest opportunity. This anxiety amongst Indian seafarers has led to operational disruptions amongst RPSL companies as immediate replacements of Indian seafarers are not always available, especially when other Indian seafarers are unwilling to join the duty due to obvious reasons”. Gupta feels that such a situation has created crew shortages and imbalances, forcing Indian RPSL companies to repeatedly search for seafarers who are willing to sail through the Persian Gulf region in the prevailing scenario, often at higher wages or with added incentives. Wage raise demand Another pressing issue faced by the Indian RPSL companies is the rise in wage expectations and compensation demands by seafarers. Some ship-owners are willing to pay additional wages to only those seafarers who agree to sail through the high-risk marine areas, including the Strait of Hormuz. Other seafarers, too, however, have started demanding similar additional benefits. Such an increase in the wage demand by Indian seafarers is putting pressure on the Indian RPSL companies nowadays, and it strains their relationships with t