India urges caution for ships entering Black Sea

New Delhi: India issued a security warning Thursday for ships venturing into the Black Sea that are locally flagged or employ its seafarers.

The advisory follows a Russian attack Sunday on a cargo ship leaving Ukraine's port of Odesa that killed four Indian nationals.

The "highest degree of caution" should be exercised while operating in the Black Sea, India's Directorate General of Maritime Administration said.


Read more: India flags safety of seafarers in Black Sea with Russia


"Voyage-specific security risk assessments" should be undertaken before entering the region, it said.

The maritime authority said there had been 10 attacks in the region since April this year involving Indian seafarers aboard foreign-flagged ships.

They included Sunday's fatal attack on the MV Golden Leo, which New Delhi protested by calling in Russia's top envoy to convey its "unequivocal condemnation".

Others included attacks on foreign-flagged tankers MT Asia, MT Louise-1 and MT Nelsa near Novorossiysk that resulted in damage to vessels and forced Indian seafarers to leave the ships.

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The security advisory comes a week after the Indian maritime authority asked local and foreign shipowners not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to the country's shipping ministry.