West Asia conflict: Andhra Pradesh seafarers caught in the line of fire

The human cost of the crisis acquired a face this week. Patnala Suresh, 44, a chief engineer from Visakhapatnam, was among three Indian seafarers killed in a U.S. strike on the MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10. His wife, Bhargavi, left to care for two school-going children, has appealed to the Central and State governments to expedite the repatriation of his remains.

Within four days, two other vessels carrying Indian crews were also attacked in the Gulf of Oman. On June 8, the MT Marivex was struck, and all 24 Indians aboard were rescued. The MT Jalveer was targeted near Shinas port, Oman, on June 11; all 20 Indian crew members aboard were evacuated safely.

India supplies roughly 12% to 15% of the world’s seafarers. Andhra Pradesh contributes disproportionately to that number. S.V. Durga Prasad, marine engineer and consultant at the Indian Maritime University, said there could be around 2,500 marine engineers from the region at sea at any given time, rising to more than 5,000 if ratings and support crew were included. In coastal villages around Visakhapatnam, almost every household has at least one family member working on a ship.

Mr. Suresh’s case illustrates a pattern that has gone largely unacknowledged: seafarers stranded well past their contractual periods, unable to be relieved because sending replacement crews into a conflict zone has become almost impossible. “Knowing the present situation, very few people are willing to go into a war zone to relieve those already stranded,” Mr. Durga Prasad said. A ship cannot be left unmanned, so existing crews remain trapped until a port of safety is reached.

The nature of the vessels compounds the danger. Most ships in the region carry oil, LNG, LPG or chemical cargo. A captain who has sailed the strait said even a minor breach could release vapours that ignite instantly, and that shipboard firefighting systems were not designed to handle missile or drone strikes. The Indian Navy has been escorting vessels in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, but stops short of the strait itself, leaving the most dangerous stretch of the journey without naval protection.

Prabal Kumar Mohanty, a retired chief engineer who served at senior rank for over five years, including voyages through the strait during the Iran-Iraq conflict, said the mental toll on stranded crews was severe. Sailing then with the United Arab Shipping Company alongside crews from Iraq, Syria, Bahrain and Jordan, Mr. Mohanty recalled deck officers discussing ships being blown out of the water. “There is a lot of mental trauma that sailors go through. They are always under tension,” he said.

India summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires following the Settebello strike and lodged a formal protest. Andhra Pradesh Minister for NRI Empowerment and Relations Kondapalli Srinivas expressed grief over Mr. Suresh’s death and said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had directed officials to extend all possible assistance to the family. Mr. Srinivas said AP Bhavan was in special discussions with the Indian and Omani embassies, and directed Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society officials to oversee the process until Mr. Suresh’s mortal remains reach Visakhapatnam.

Janakiram Vasupalli, national president of the East Coast Mechanised Fishing Boat Owners Association of India, called on Washington to compensate the families of those killed. “Despite having bilateral ties and knowing that Indians were on board, the manner in which a commercial vessel was targeted must be condemned,” he said. “We are not an enemy country, and we have trade relations with America.” Mr. Vasupalli added that he was writing to the United Nations seeking fair compensation for the affected families.