Why Are Indian Sailors Dying in the Black Sea?

Three commercial vessels with Indian crew have been attacked in the Black Sea within a single week. Five Indian sailors are confirmed dead. Two more, from MV AGN Ragnar, remain missing. As the death toll among Indian sailors in the Black Sea continues to rise, questions are mounting over who is actually responsible for protecting them, informing their families, and compensating them when disaster strikes on the high seas.

The Probe's Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Prema Sridevi, spoke to Manoj Joy, Head of Virtual Support, India, at Sailors' Society, an international organisation that works on seafarer welfare and has directly intervened in cases of Indian crew stranded or in crisis abroad. The conversation covered the AGN Ragnar attack specifically, and the much larger, largely unreported crisis facing Indian sailors across the world's most dangerous shipping corridors.

Below is the full transcript of that conversation.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Two Indian citizens, sailors by profession, are still missing after their ship, MV AGN Ragnar, was struck by suspected Russian drones in the Black Sea on July 25. There were four Indians on board this ship. Two of the sailors are alive today, and two others are missing. I have spoken to both the families of the missing sailors, Ram Chandra Dubey and Deepak Kumar Gupta. They told me that when the ship was attacked on the 25th, they only got to know about this on the 26th.

No one from the government has so far called them, and there is no help coming from the shipping company or the manning agency. This is now the third attack on a commercial vessel with Indian crew in the Black Sea in under a week. Think about this — three attacks on ships carrying Indian sailors. On July 18, MV Omorfi was attacked; one Indian sailor was killed. On July 19, the very next day, MV Golden Leo was attacked; four Indian sailors were killed. And on July 25, MV Ragnar was attacked, and two Indian sailors are missing.

To talk about what's actually happening to Indian sailors out there in the Black Sea, and the bigger question of who is responsible when Indian sailors are sent into a war zone and left to fend for themselves, I'm joined by Manoj Joy, Head of Virtual Support, India, Sailors' Society. Sailors' Society is an international organisation that works on seafarer welfare and has directly intervened in cases of Indian crew stranded or in crisis abroad.

Manoj, it's great to have you here. Thank you for joining me.

MANOJ JOY: Thank you.

Also Read:  Missing Sailors: Family Says No Word From Govt, Ship Owner

Who Is Responsible When Indian Sailors Go Missing?

PREMA SRIDEVI: Mr. Manoj, let's start with AGN Ragnar. As I've already said in my introduction, two Indian sailors are still missing. Today is the third day, and there is absolutely no news about them. From what you know of how these situations are supposed to work, who is actually responsible for keeping the family informed in real time? Is it the manning agency, the ship owner, or the MEA?

MANOJ JOY: It is the responsibility of the manning agency in India — the company which recruited them. The responsibility lies with them. They also have a responsibility to inform the Director General of Shipping when any casualty occurs on board the ship. So they cannot shy away by stating that it is the owner who has to provide the information.

As far as the Indian crew is concerned, he was recruited from India, and he was not directly recruited by the owner — it is through the manning agency that the crew has gone. So the responsibility stops with the manning agent. He has to keep the family informed from time to time, and also let the Director General of Shipping know the progress in the case.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Now, I spoke to both these families of the missing sailors. What they told me is that the incident happened on the 25th of July, and for the whole of the 25th, they had absolutely no clue as to what had happened. Then on the 26th, in the afternoon, they got a call from a stranger. They are very sure this was not a call from the Indian government, but they suspect it could have been someone connected to the ship owner or the manning agency. 

The person called back, and to one of the families, he became argumentative, asking why they were sharing his number with people and complaining that he was getting too many phone calls. So in a case like this, who is supposed to keep the family informed? You've already told me it's the manning agency's responsibility, but one of the family members also told me that they tried contacting the Indian Embassy in Ukraine which had released an emergency phone number as part of their helpline support, and it seems that for the last 20 hours or so, the Embassy has stopped answering calls. In a situation like this, what does a sailor's family do? How do they navigate the situation?

MANOJ JOY: Again, the responsibility lies with the manning agent. Initially, whoever it might be, they made a call and informed the family. This has to be followed by a written mail or letter, or an email confirming what happened. They cannot shy away from that responsibility. Within 24 hours, the family has to be notified, and the Director General of Shipping has to be notified.

In this particular case, I really don't know whether they've notified DG Shipping within the prescribed time limits. If they have not, it is a violation of the law. It's difficult for families to run around calling this agency, calling that agency, calling the embassy, that is not possible. So the responsibility lies with the manning agent. Every minute, he has to coordinate.

What Should Happen In The First 24 Hours

PREMA SRIDEVI: What should actually happen, step by step, in the first 24 hours after a ship with Indian crew is attacked? From the shipping company's side, from the manning agency's side, and from the government's side — what are their responsibilities?

MANOJ JOY: It is not just about an attack. Any incident involving Indian seafarers has to be reported within 24 hours when the incident occurs.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Reported by whom, and to whom?

MANOJ JOY: By the manning agent, to the family. The rules are clearly stated in the Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers regulations — when a manning agency is given its license, all these rules are mentioned there.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Which rule exactly are you referring to?

MANOJ JOY: The Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Rules — the RPS Rules. It is all clearly stated there. If they don't comply, it is a clear violation of the rules. Families can also get in touch with the Director General of Shipping directly. There is a 24-hour helpline manned by DG Shipping's DG Comm Centre. If families find that the manning agent is not receptive or not cooperating, they can pick up the phone and call the DG Comm Centre. They will get help.

PREMA SRIDEVI: There was also news that a rescue mission was underway to locate the missing sailors, and then we heard that search and rescue for the two missing sailors was suspended because of continuing drone activity in the area. What happens next in a situation like this? Is there a point at which families are told to stop hoping, and who makes that call?

MANOJ JOY: In a war zone, it's very difficult for me to comment, because the people involved in the rescue operation know exactly what is happening on the ground. In trying to rescue seafarers, they cannot put their own lives at risk — they need to be safe first. Only if they are safe can they rescue people at sea. Once it's declared that crew members have gone missing, typically the search continues for two to three days. Beyond that period, if they are still not found, it becomes very difficult.

Also Read:  R. Rajagopal Gets His Passport, But Wants the Government to Clarify

Indian Sailors: A Pattern The World Is Ignoring

PREMA SRIDEVI: Mr. Manoj, this is not just the case of one ship being attacked — it's a pattern. Three ships have been attacked in a week's time. And the larger picture is that India supplies more of the world's seafarers than almost any other country, second only to the Philippines. Given that scale, why does it feel like the moment something goes wrong, Indian sailors and their families are completely on their own?

MANOJ JOY: The problem, in my experience, is that most families don't know whom to approach. This is where Sailors' Society comes in — when we talk to cadets and trainees in maritime colleges, when we take classes, when we run our wellness programmes, we always tell the students: before you leave home to join a ship, take a notebook. Write down your ship's name, the company's name, the person in your company who can be contacted in case of an emergency at home. Leave that notebook with your family, so that in case of difficulty, they can immediately reach out, including to Sailors' Society's helpline, and to DG Shipping's DG Comm Centre.

Also, before joining the ship, when the company gives you the contract, send a copy of it home. The family should know. This is a high-risk profession, even setting aside war, anything can happen on a ship. There could be an accident, the ship could sink in bad weather. It's a risky life at sea. So how does the family know whom to contact? As long as the sailor is going on board and coming back safely, the family is content. But when calamity strikes, they are helpless. I urge seafarers not to leave their families helpless in a critical situation by assuming nothing will happen to them.

PREMA SRIDEVI: So according to you, when something like this happens, what should families actually do?

MANOJ JOY: In the present situation, where families are struggling because the manning agent is not supporting them, they need to immediately reach out to the Director General of Shipping. Even a simple Google search for "Director General Shipping" gets you the website, and the DG Comm Centre telephone number is listed there — there are officers sitting there who will attend to you immediately. This is the first step, because only DG Shipping's office can take the next step — they can get in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs, and through them, reach the embassy.

If a family is working with a good, reputable company, there's not much to worry about: the company will take care of it, and the family need not run anywhere. But even in a case where you're not fully convinced the company is doing enough, this option exists. In my experience, DG Shipping's office is proactive in these situations, especially in war zones. We've seen this in the Hormuz region as well as in the Black Sea region. There is no other source to go to.

Who Is Accountable? Flag States, Manning Agencies, And Compensation

PREMA SRIDEVI: I also want to know from you, when a sailor dies or goes missing on a foreign-flagged ship in international waters, who is actually accountable, legally and morally? Is it the flag state, the manning agency, or the ship owner? And does India really have any leverage in this situation at all?

MANOJ JOY: The flag state is ultimately responsible — the flag state of the ship. But in most cases, we find these flag states don't do anything at all. There are what we call "flags of convenience" — countries where the ship owner is not actually based.

PREMA SRIDEVI: For a layperson who doesn't know these terms, can you explain what a flag of convenience is?

MANOJ JOY: Take, for example, Tanzanian-flagged ships, or Mongolian-flagged ships — the ship owner is not based in that country at all. The labour laws are lax, the taxation is lax, everything is lax. So ship owners register their vessels there specifically to escape these responsibilities. There is a real danger in these kinds of ships. There are good companies that register under flags of convenience and still take proper care of their seafarers but in many of the cases I've been watching in the Hormuz region, the employment agreement doesn't even mention compensation. So how is the family supposed to get compensation? It's a big question mark.

PREMA SRIDEVI: So you're saying the first point of accountability is the flag state itself. What is the flag state actually supposed to do in these cases? And what accountability should the shipping company and the manning agency be exposed to?

MANOJ JOY: This is a very large question. Let me confine myself to what I've seen in this particular case and cases like it. What I find is that shipowners often simply don't respond. Recently, there was a case where a shipowner put out a press release on a letterhead: the company's name was on top, and there was some content but apart from that, there was no address, no telephone number, no email ID, and the person who signed it had no name, no designation, nothing. It's essentially unverifiable. How do you even contact this company when there are no particulars at all?

This is the problem most ships operating in this region are facing - where Indian crew are involved, the seaman's employment agreement often only states that death compensation will be "as per Protection & Indemnity (P&I)" cover - the P&I Club being the insurance club - without naming which P&I club it is, or what amount the family is actually entitled to. Even if the matter goes to court, the court will ask: as per your employment contract, where is the amount specified? If nothing is mentioned, how do you even proceed?

PREMA SRIDEVI: Since you're speaking about compensation and insurance, in this particular case, MV Ragnar's case, we spoke to the manning company, Dwelloship. I spoke to the Managing Director of that company, and he told me they are in touch with the family though the family says otherwise, that no one has been in contact with them. He also said the seafarers have P&I cover, and that a settlement will eventually be decided by the ship owners, not the manning company. I want to know, in practice, what insurance cover is a sailor actually entitled to, especially in high-risk situations like this? What does the rule really say, and who is responsible for providing it: the manning company or the ship owner?

MANOJ JOY: It is not the manning company that pays. It is the insurance company, and the owners are responsible. But this has to be clearly stated in the Seaman's Employment Agreement or the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The manning company draws up this agreement on behalf of the ship owner, and it must specify: in case of a 20% disability, what is the amount payable? A 30% disability, what is the amount? 100% disability, what is the amount? In the event of death, what is the amount? This has to be fixed in advance. It cannot be decided later. As per the Recruitment and Placement licence rules under Indian law, it has to be there.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Is there a minimum amount that companies are required to provide?

MANOJ JOY: No minimum has been mandated. However, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) recommends a figure, and most companies in India, as of 2026, are paying close to $120,000 in the case of death.

Sailors should be careful when they join a vessel. They need to specifically look at the clause where accident and death compensation is mentioned. In good, standard companies, the death and accident compensation amount is clearly specified. In the recent incidents we've seen in the Hormuz region and the Black Sea region, the contracts are not mentioning the compensation part at all:  it's only stated as "per P&I," which is not sufficient. Unless the compensation amount is clearly stated in figures in the Seaman's Employment Agreement, families have no way of knowing what they're entitled to.

The problem is that most seafarers don't read their contracts closely. They simply sign on the dotted line, thinking nothing will happen to them, so why worry about death or accident clauses? But these things are part of life at sea. Even outside a war zone, if you meet with an accident and lose your life, what will your family do? If the company says your entitlement is only $10,000, what can the family do? It is essential that seafarers read their contracts carefully and ask the company directly what the compensation amount is in case something goes wrong, and insist it be mentioned in the agreement.

PREMA SRIDEVI: As per Indian law, is there supposed to be a minimum compensation and mandatory insurance requirement?

MANOJ JOY: When a licence is issued to a manning agent under the Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Rules, this is clearly mentioned and is supposed to be strictly enforced — the amount of compensation must be stated in the Seaman's Employment Contract, as per the RPS Rules. But many agents violate these norms and get away with it.

For example, we have cases like MV Skylight, which was hit by an Iranian missile. Two people died, the captain and an engine room crew member. To this day, they don't know what their compensation is. The family writes to the company; the company stays silent, or shifts the blame to the ship owner, and the ship owner doesn't respond either. Who takes responsibility?

The sad part, in the Skylight case, is that the young man who died was around 20 years old. His father was very fond of him — after his death, and with his remains never recovered, the father went into depression and unfortunately passed away himself. Now the mother's condition is bad. It's not just one seafarer's story — it can collapse an entire family. Most of these seafarers may be the sole breadwinner. In this current Black Sea case too, one of the sailors who died is from Kasaragod — an only son, from a family that isn't well-off. The father raised him, he became a second officer, and the family thought their life was finally improving. Now the boy is gone, and compensation, God knows.

Does Diplomatic Pressure Over Black Sea Attacks Even Work?

PREMA SRIDEVI: Coming back to this particular incident — this is now the third attack on a vessel with Indian crew in the Black Sea in a single week, and we've already lost five Indian sailors to these attacks. We've separately learnt that India had summoned both the Ukrainian and Russian envoys earlier. What really happens at the diplomatic front when envoys are summoned? Does it actually help?

MANOJ JOY: We are able to convey our displeasure through these channels, but I seriously doubt how effective it really is in a war situation. Diplomacy has its limits when a war is actually underway.

The Hidden Crisis: Suicides And Deaths At Sea That Never Make Headlines

PREMA SRIDEVI: I spoke to you, I think, twenty years ago, when I was probably a cub reporter — and even then, you were championing the cause of sailors, and you continue that mission today under a different organisation. Given your experience, how many Indian sailors do you think have actually died or gone missing in conflict zones like this in recent years? And why does this crisis get so little attention compared to, say, Indians stranded in the Gulf or students in distress abroad? What really needs to change so this stops being a pattern?

MANOJ JOY: What I can say is that only gradually is the media beginning to cover these incidents. Otherwise, these kinds of stories relating to seafarers get very minimal coverage. The media covers a shipping case one day, and the next day some political story crops up, and they drop it and move on.

From India, we have more than four lakh registered Indian seafarers — not all of them at sea at any given time, but a good majority are. And when we talk about seafarers going missing or dying, it's not only about war. There are a lot of cases of suicide at sea, or mysterious deaths.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Can you tell us more about that?

Bullying, Suicides and Murder at Sea

MANOJ JOY: There are various reasons. Some seafarers are unable to withstand the pressure of work at sea, and having spent a huge amount — ten to fifteen lakhs — on their training, they feel unable to face going home without success. There are also cases of harassment and bullying on board that seafarers cannot withstand. Family issues can also play a role. When I was a seafarer myself, we had no internet on board — today, ships are equipped with internet, and sailors are in constant touch with their families, so personal and family issues can also contribute. It's very difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for a suicide unless the person leaves a note.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Have you personally come across cases of suicide?

MANOJ JOY: Many, many cases. We deal with and support these families through Sailors' Society regularly.

PREMA SRIDEVI: What's the predominant cause in the cases you've seen?

MANOJ JOY: That's hard to say definitively — when you ask the family, they often say they don't accept it as suicide at all; they feel something else must have happened. We run a 24/7 helpline. I recall a case where a young Chinese seafarer called our helpline saying he wanted to end his life due to problems on board. My colleague, who speaks Chinese, took the call, reassured him, and looped in the ship's captain to ensure he wasn't left alone and was properly watched. We recommended the company take him off at the next port. He claimed his seniors on board were harassing him — though the captain disputed that account, and we genuinely don't know the full truth.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Have you come across a case involving an Indian seafarer who attempted or committed suicide?

MANOJ JOY: Many cases. One recent case — about two months back — involved a seafarer, around 30 to 35 years old, from Tamil Nadu, who died by hanging on board. Most suicide cases at sea involve jumping overboard, but this was a case of hanging on the ship itself. The vessel was en route to China, and the body decomposed significantly during the voyage — it took more than a month and a half for the body to be repatriated to India, largely due to differing procedures across countries.

The ship's account was that he had taken his own life, but the family was not willing to accept this — they said he had been perfectly normal, and had spoken to them the previous evening. This is a common pattern.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Who actually investigates a case like this on the high seas?

MANOJ JOY: It falls under the flag state's responsibility, and the investigation is typically carried out at the ship's first port of call, by the local police of that coastal state. As Indian nationals are involved, our administration also has a responsibility to be party to that investigation. So it's not just about war — a seafarer also has to be concerned about internal problems on board: bullying, harassment, and worse.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Have you seen instances of murder or homicide at sea as well?

MANOJ JOY: Yes, absolutely. A recent case involved two seafarers, both from Tamil Nadu, both friends, on the same ship. This was on Christmas Eve, December 2025. Ship policy typically prohibits alcohol entirely — a zero-tolerance policy. But the captain, apparently with the company's go-ahead, arranged liquor for the crew to mark Christmas Eve while the ship was near a port in Indonesia. During the evening, an argument broke out between the two friends, and one stabbed the other. The injured man died before or shortly after reaching hospital. The other is now in jail in Indonesia.

What Sailors' Society Is Doing For The AGN Ragnar Families

PREMA SRIDEVI: My last question — as far as the families of these two missing Indian sailors are concerned, what support can Sailors' Society provide right now? At this moment, they are left to fend for themselves, with no idea whom to contact.

MANOJ JOY: This is exactly the moment they need support. Compensation and all of that can come later — it's not going to happen tomorrow or the day after. What matters right now is that the family should not feel they are alone. They have friends, they have relatives, but as a seafaring community, we have a major role to play too. Often, when friends or family members who know nothing about shipping start offering opinions, all kinds of stories start circulating, and the family becomes even more confused about what's actually happening. This is where we step in, so families aren't misguided by rumour, and they know we're available 24/7.

PREMA SRIDEVI: How does someone reach Sailors' Society if a family wants to get in touch, and what kind of support can you actually provide?

MANOJ JOY: Usually, when we do media interactions like this, we request that our helpline number be printed or displayed. Some families find us that way; often it's not the family themselves but a friend or a tech-savvy relative who searches for us online and finds the number.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Let's assume someone uses the helpline and calls your organisation — what kind of support will you extend?

MANOJ JOY: The first and foremost thing is telling them: we are with you. That is what families need most in these moments, or they feel completely alone. In missing-person cases especially, we genuinely don't know the reality — whether the person is alive somewhere, or has been rescued, or worse. We can't bring a life back, but we can be present with the family at that moment.

Let me share one case. There was a group of seafarers imprisoned in Tirunelveli. I used to visit them in person. The High Court eventually found they hadn't committed any crime and acquitted them — but they'd already spent three years in prison. One of the wives, from Punjab, used to call me every single day, and the call would last barely ten seconds — her only question was, "Sir, will my husband be released?" That was all. The matter was in court, we didn't know the outcome, but I kept telling her to hold on to hope. Eventually, they did come home.

PREMA SRIDEVI: Beyond that phone conversation and presence, what else can Sailors' Society do?

MANOJ JOY: We work with like-minded organisations across the globe, and we can connect families to the right ones depending on what they need — since families often don't have access to background information on the ship owner, the manning agency, or details of the P&I club involved. We have people who can gather this information for families. We also help connect people to legal aid — not directly, since we don't get involved in court cases ourselves, but we have a network of lawyers in India who take up pro bono cases, and we can point families toward the right option and the best remedy available in a given situation. It's not that everyone needs to go to court — but we can lay out what's possible.

For instance, if someone dies on board and the family isn't willing to accept the official explanation — say, a suicide — this can linger in their minds for the rest of their lives, with parents wondering if they should have done something differently. In such cases, if the family has doubts, we tell them a re-postmortem can be done in India to help settle those doubts. Some families have taken that option and, after doing so, have found closure — accepting that there was no foul play, that it was a natural death. There has to be closure to a case; without it, the mind stays agitated indefinitely, and it can affect the family's wellbeing for years.

PREMA SRIDEVI: I'm very glad to have had this conversation, and the work Sailors' Society is doing is genuinely commendable. As you rightly said, sometimes what people need most isn't compensation or insurance or money — it's information. In moments like this, families just want to know: is my loved one safe? The last thing the AGN Ragnar families knew was that the sailors had jumped into the water. Then some news sources reported that two sailors had been rescued — and now, for the last 24 hours, the families are desperately trying to figure out whether those two rescued individuals are, in fact, their own family members.

In moments like this, getting information is the single biggest challenge. And the work you're doing to bridge that information gap for these families is remarkable. I'll be putting out Sailors' Society's helpline number when this is edited, for anyone in distress to reach out to. Thank you so much, Mr. Manoj Joy, for speaking with me today.

MANOJ JOY: Thank you, Prema.

I want to add one more thing, if I may — in this particular Ukraine case, once we get in touch with the family, we have a chaplain in Ukraine, a colleague of mine is stationed there. I can pass this information on to him, and through him, we'll try to reach out to government officials there to get information for the family.

PREMA SRIDEVI: That would be wonderful. I really appreciate that gesture, and I hope the families back in India get answers very soon — and that these two sailors are found safe and make it back home. Thank you again, Mr. Manoj Joy, for joining me.

MANOJ JOY: Thank you, Prema, for highlighting this cause. Thank you for doing this.

Sailors' Society Helpline

If you or someone you know is a seafarer or family member affected by the ongoing crisis in the Black Sea, Sailors' Society's Crisis Response Network and global helpline team are available 24/7:

📞 Call: +1 938 222 8181 💬 Instant Chat: sailors-society.org/helpline 📧 Email: crisis@sailors-society.org