A distress network for seafarers at sea: What Modi proposed at BRICS, and why India needs it

Source: Hindustan Times | Original Published At: 2026-09-13 01:22:39 UTC

Key Points

• At the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a Seafarers Emergency Support Network connecting maritime authorities and missions in respective countries.
• The proposed network would assist with distress alerts, medical aid, information to families, and evacuation for merchant seafarers.
• Modi framed the proposal as part of a wider BRICS call to build a Reform Roadmap on global governance, emphasizing speed, scale, and last-mile impact.
• India supplies about 311,936 seafarers, or 12.16% of the global commercial workforce, making it the second-largest national contingent after the Philippines.
• At least 15 Indian seafarers have been killed in West Asia and the Black Sea over nine months amid attacks on merchant vessels.
• India already operates mechanisms such as advisories, emergency helplines, shipping control rooms, Navy escorts, a Rapid Response Cell, and e-Navik 24×7 for seafarer welfare.
• The proposed BRICS network would be judged on how quickly distress alerts move, whether families receive official information early, and how compensation tracks are coordinated.