Three Decades After a Hijack, We Are Still Leaving Our Seafarers Defenceless
By Prashantha Karkera
Author of the award-winning non-fiction book “Hijack and Its Repercussions”
Nearly three decades ago, I witnessed the terrifying reality of what happens when a commercial vessel becomes a target. The psychological scars, the agonizing diplomatic deadlocks, and the absolute isolation of a civilian crew cut off on the open ocean are themes I documented extensively in my book, Hijack and Its Repercussions. When those pages were written, I hoped they would serve as a historical warning. Instead, as I look at today’s maritime landscape, they feel like a dark, recurring prophecy.
Today, the world’s most critical shipping corridors—the Red Sea, the Black Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Strait of Hormuz—have transformed from commercial trade routes into active, asymmetrical combat zones.
Our seafarers are no longer just watching the horizon for traditional pirates. Today, they are scanning the skies for automated kamikaze drones, sea-skimming missiles, and naval torpedoes. The recent, tragic loss of life—including the death of Indian wiper Suraj Yadav aboard a torpedoed vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, and multiple injuries to crew members in the volatile waters of the Black Sea—proves that civilian sailors are being used as human shields in regional conflicts.
Yet, the crisis extends far beyond the physical explosions. The true tragedy bridges the past and the present in the quiet, agonizing torment faced by the families back home.
Three decades ago, families spent weeks in blind panic, praying for a shred of news. Today, despite instant messaging and global connectivity, the agony remains identical. Families live in a state of constant, paralyzing fear, wondering if the next phone call will bring devastating news. Every transit through a high-risk zone becomes a psychological trial for spouses, parents, and children who live with a singular, haunting question: Will they ever return safe?
This terror inflicts a severe, invisible wound on the mental health of our sailors. Trapped in active war zones, seafarers face unprecedented mental stress, compounded by agonizingly long waits at sea, delayed crew rotations, and the bureaucratic nightmares of repatriation. They are entirely isolated—marooned on floating targets with no escape, while their families are left isolated in their grief and anxiety on land.
For thirty years, the technology of maritime warfare has evolved exponentially, but the vulnerability of the human beings operating these ships has remained tragically unchanged. We are the leading supplier of global seafaring talent; we cannot afford to look the other way while our citizens break down mentally and physically on the high seas.
I urgently call upon the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) and the Government of India to implement immediate, mandatory interventions:
Enforced Convoy Protections: Expand the footprint of the Indian Navy to provide active escorts for Indian-crewed vessels navigating designated high-risk zones.
Legally Protected Right to Refuse Sail: Grant shipmasters and crews the absolute, legally binding right to refuse transit through active drone and missile corridors without fear of corporate blacklisting or financial penalties.
Mandatory Mental Health & Repatriation Support: Compel international shipping companies to guarantee swift, streamlined repatriation, enforce strict limits on extended sea times, and provide robust, dedicated psychological counseling frameworks for both sailors and their families.
The lessons written in Hijack and Its Repercussions were meant to protect the future of commercial sailing. If the concerned authorities do not act swiftly to adapt our maritime laws to this new era of technological and psychological warfare, we will continue to pay for global trade with the minds, bodies, and lives of our finest sailors.
