India warns ships with Indian links to use caution in Black Sea

India issued a security warning on Thursday for ships entering the Black Sea if they are Indian-flagged or employ Indian seafarers.

The advisory followed a Russian attack on Sunday on a cargo ship leaving Ukraine's port of Odesa. Four Indian nationals were killed in that attack.

India's Directorate General of Maritime Administration said the highest degree of caution should be used while operating in the Black Sea. It said voyage-specific security risk assessments should be carried out before entering the region.

The maritime authority said there had been 10 attacks in the region since April involving Indian seafarers on foreign-flagged ships. Those incidents included Sunday's fatal attack on the MV Golden Leo. New Delhi protested that attack by calling in Russia's top envoy to convey its unequivocal condemnation.

Other incidents included attacks near Novorossiysk on the foreign-flagged tankers MT Asia, MT Louise-1 and MT Nelsa. The authority said those attacks damaged vessels and forced Indian seafarers to leave the ships.

The Black Sea warning came a week after India's 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 sources of sailors for merchant shipping worldwide. The country's shipping ministry said it had more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025.