India Pursues Three-Point Plan to Protect Seafarers and Black Sea Shipping
India is holding talks with Russia, Ukraine and Europe on a three-point plan that includes an understanding not to attack civilian ships and seafarers, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said. He spoke to Indian reporters in Atlanta, in the United States, at the close of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Saturday, 31 October. The plan mainly concerns the Black Sea, the inland sea between Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Türkiye, where merchant ships have repeatedly been hit during the Russia–Ukraine war.
According to the minister, the three points are:
- an understanding not to attack civilian shipping and seafarers;
- restoring grain exports from Russia and Ukraine through the Black Sea, which have fallen sharply and matter greatly to developing countries; and
- a “non-attack on energy”, which he described as the most complicated part.
Mr Jaishankar said the effort is being coordinated with the United States and builds on contacts at the highest level, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks with President Vladimir Putin, his own visits to Moscow and Kyiv, and his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20. He did not share details or a timeline, and no agreement has been announced yet. He added that India’s message at the G20 was that there is no military solution to the major conflicts.
The statement follows India’s recent calls at the same meeting to stop attacks on ships and crews in the Strait of Hormuz. It shows seafarer safety becoming a regular part of India’s foreign policy, which matters for a country that supplies a large share of the world’s merchant crews.
If the plan succeeds, crews trading to Black Sea ports, including many Indian seafarers, would face fewer risks from drones, missiles and sea mines. Until then, ship managers and crews will need to keep following war-risk area guidance for the region.
