Missing sailors expose human cost of Iran war at sea
V. Pandiselvi, the mother of Indian sailor Naveen Kumar, has not heard from her son for more than six months yet she still clings to hope he will return, crying as she replays old voice notes.
The disappearance of six Indian sailors on two Iran-linked cargo ships has brought to light the human toll of the ongoing conflict at sea. The vessels, which flew the Bolivian flag, went missing in May before they could be found through search and rescue efforts. The United Nations' International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has recorded 130 incidents, primarily attacks, in the region since the U.S.-led war on Iran began on February 28.
Among the six crew members, Naveen Kumar, a 23-year-old Indian sailor, has been missing for more than six months, leaving his family, including his mother V. Pandiselvi, in a state of anguish and despair. Kumar's family had taken on considerable debt for him to pursue his dream of becoming a sailor, but now they are left to bear the pain of not knowing what happened to him.
The Iraqi maritime foundation in Basra reported that the ships' last known position was approximately 8 nautical miles from Iran's Kish Island on May 9, but no distress signals were received. The Seamen's Employment Office in India withdrew Lascar Marine Services' recruitment license and barred its directors from maritime business for five years due to repeated failures to repatriate seafarers or pay their wages.
The rising costs of hiring sailors have tripled since the Iran war, with captains earning up to US$13,000 a month, compared to US$8,000 to US$13,000 before the conflict.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
