Thirteen Indian seafarers are currently stranded aboard the MV AMIR1 cargo vessel at Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port, alongside two other crew members. The situation has been described as life-threatening due to ongoing drone and missile attacks in the area, according to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI). The union has raised alarms about the dangers faced by the crew, who are living under constant threat from nearby hostilities.
In a recent appeal on social media platform X, the FSUI emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that the crew is at risk of direct hits from the attacks occurring in the vicinity of the ship. The union has called on shipowners, the vessel’s flag state, and government officials to take immediate action to ensure the crew’s safety and facilitate their evacuation from the conflict zone.
This plea follows concerns raised by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the safety of Indian seafarers in the Black Sea. The MEA summoned Ukraine’s ambassador to address the issue after an attack on another merchant vessel, MV OMORFI, which resulted in the death of an Indian national. The MEA condemned such attacks, labeling them a serious threat to maritime safety and urging Ukraine to protect commercial vessels carrying civilian seafarers.
