Indian Seafarers: How Indian Seafarers Became a Global Maritime Workforce Power

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• The US-Iran conflict and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz since early March 2026 has put thousands of Indian seafarers at risk in the Gulf region. 
• This has drawn attention to India’s massive and rapidly growing maritime workforce — and its changing composition.

India’s Maritime Workforce: The Big Picture

• India has emerged as one of the world’s top three suppliers of seafarers, alongside the Philippines and China.
  • Indian seafarers (2024) – 3,07,901
  • Indian seafarers (2010) – 62,267
  • Growth – More than fivefold in 14 years
  • Share of global workforce – ~17% (1 in 5 seafarers globally is Indian)
  • Global seafaring workforce – 1.89 million

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The Shift in Workforce Composition

• The most significant structural change is the reversal of the officer-to-rating ratio.
  • 2010 – 60 : 40
  • 2024 – 35 : 65
  • Global average (2024) – 45 : 55
• India’s ratio has moved well below the global average, indicating a workforce increasingly dominated by lower-ranked, non-officer crew — known as ratings.

Engineering vs. Nautical Crew Growth

• Both engineering and nautical (non-engineering) crew have grown substantially, but nautical crew has grown much faster:
  • Engineering crew – 25,844 (2010); 1,00,792 (2024) – ~4x growth
  • Nautical crew – 36,423 (2010); 2,07,109 (2024) – ~5.7x growth

What Kind of Work Are Indians Doing at Sea

• In 2024, half of the non-engineering Indian crew worked in roles such as cooks, hospitality staff, salon ratings, cruise vessel staff, wipers, cleaners, painters, and lookout staff. 
  • In 2010, less than 37% were in such roles.
• This signals a downward shift in the skill profile of India’s maritime workforce.
• Not all the growth is at the bottom. There has been notable expansion in mid-level non-officer positions too:
  • Bosuns (senior-most non-officer deckhands): 0 in 2010 → 4,324 in 2024
  • Able Seamen: 708 in 2010 → 16,568 in 2024

Decline in Officer Representation

• In 2010, nearly 46% of non-engineering Indian crew held the rank of Third Officer or above. 
• By 2024, this had fallen to under 20% — as Indians increasingly joined ships in non-officer capacities.

Indian Seafarers on Foreign Ships: The Dominance of Foreign Flags

• Most Indian seafarers work on foreign-flagged vessels — a trend that has deepened over time:
  • 2016 – 1,23,729 out of 1,43,940 (86%)
  • 2024 – 2,78,466 out of 3,07,901 (90%)
• This structural dependence on foreign-flagged ships makes Indian seafarers disproportionately exposed to risks in hostile maritime environments — with limited protection from the Indian state.

The Hormuz Crisis and Indian Seafarers at Risk

• The US-Iran war and the Hormuz closure brought this vulnerability into sharp focus:
  • Mid-March 2026: 23,000 Indian seafarers facing uncertainty in the Gulf region; 753 aboard 27 Indian-flagged vessels
  • June 11, 2026: Numbers reduced to 18,000 under uncertainty; 562 aboard 13 Indian-flagged vessels — 329 in the Persian Gulf (west of Hormuz) and 233 in the Gulf of Oman (east of Hormuz)
  • The 13 Indian-flagged vessels included crude oil tankers, container ships, bulk carriers, LPG tankers, chemical tankers, and a dredger
  • At least one tanker safely exited the Strait on June 15, following the peace deal announcement
• EAM Jaishankar formally protested attacks on ships carrying Indian sailors, and the US responded that violations would not be tolerated.

Key Concerns Emerging from These Trends

• Skill downgrade risk: India is supplying a growing share of low-skill, non-officer crew. Without active skilling efforts, India risks losing its competitive edge at higher officer ranks to countries like the Philippines and China.
• Dependence on foreign flags: 90% of Indian seafarers work on foreign-flagged ships. This limits India’s ability to protect them diplomatically in hostile maritime zones.
• Geopolitical vulnerability: As one of the world’s largest suppliers of maritime labour, disruptions in key chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz have an outsized impact on Indian workers and their families.
• Remittance and economic stakes: Indian seafarers are significant remittance earners. Their safety and employment conditions directly affect household incomes, especially in coastal states like Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.

Conclusion

• India’s rise as a global maritime labour power is remarkable — but its foundation is shifting. 
• A workforce growing fastest at the lower end of the skill ladder, overwhelmingly employed on foreign ships, and exposed to geopolitical flashpoints like Hormuz, demands a serious national maritime skilling and diplomatic protection strategy.

Source: IE | IE