Four Indian seafarers death underlines need to protect maritime order

📌 Summary:

• Context: Four Indian seafarers were killed when the merchant ship MV Golden Leo was struck by a Russian missile while departing a Ukrainian port; 10 seafarers died in all — the vessel was a civilian cargo ship, not a military target
• Core argument: repeated attacks on civilian shipping signal the erosion of long-standing international-law norms meant to protect civilian maritime commerce
• Causal chain / legal basis: International Humanitarian Law (IHL) shields non-combatants; merchant vessels in civilian commerce cannot lawfully be attacked unless used for military purposes — MV Golden Leo was reportedly carrying grain; when great-power interests are involved, these protections are increasingly violated
• India's specific vulnerability: over 10% of the world's seafarers are Indian, many aboard foreign-flagged vessels (MV Golden Leo — Guinea-Bissau; MT Settebello — Palau); Indians have also been killed near the Strait of Hormuz
• Data/precedent: three Indians aboard MT Settebello were among those killed around Hormuz; India summoned Russia's charge d'affaires and lodged a protest
• Solutions/response: the Directorate General of Shipping advised shipowners and recruitment agencies against deploying Indian seafarers through the Strait of Hormuz; New Delhi must also actively defend the norms protecting civilian shipping
• International angle: Ukraine is a leading grain exporter (Europe, North Africa, Asia); Hormuz disruptions have already exposed the vulnerability of global energy supplies — attacks on merchant ships threaten the entire maritime order underpinning world commerce

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Internal/Maritime Security & GS2 IR — freedom and safety of maritime commerce, International Humanitarian Law, protection of the Indian diaspora/seafarers, and sea lines of communication amid great-power conflict

🔑 Key Term: International Humanitarian Law (IHL) — the body of law that protects non-combatants and civilian assets (including merchant ships) during armed conflict