An old video of an April 22 attack in the Strait of Hormuz has been shared by the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), showing 21 Indian seafarers taking cover inside a vessel as Iranian boats surrounded the ship.
The vessel was carrying 22 crew members, including 21 Indians, when it came under pressure from several small boats that FSUI identified as belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The footage shows the boats surrounding the vessel, followed by an RPG being fired. Crew members can then be seen rushing into the ship’s alleyways and taking cover as the confrontation escalates. FSUI also released photographs showing the seafarers sheltering inside the vessel.
“These were not pirates. They were naval forces of the IRGC,” FSUI said in a post on X.
The union said navigational advisories and safety guidelines alone were not enough to protect civilian crews operating in conflict-affected waters. It called for an assured naval presence to safeguard seafarers and commercial vessels.
Indian seafarers face continuing risks
The release of the footage comes amid wider concerns over the safety of Indian seafarers working aboard commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
India has one of the world’s largest maritime workforces. The BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026 puts the country’s seafarer population at 311,936, accounting for 12.16 per cent of the global workforce. India ranks second worldwide after the Philippines.
Indian officers account for 13.41 per cent of the global officer workforce, while 171,218 Indian ratings make up 11.29 per cent of ratings worldwide.
166 Indian seafarers remain in region
The Ministry of External Affairs recently said 166 Indian seafarers remained in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz region. Of these, 125 were aboard six Indian-flagged vessels, while 41 were working on foreign-flagged ships.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said 3,972 Indian seafarers had been repatriated from the Gulf region as of August 4. It also said 60 merchant vessels carrying cargo for India had safely transited the Strait of Hormuz.
The government has also introduced measures to monitor vessels and seafarers in the region as security concerns continue.
