At G7 Summit, PM Modi Urges Protection Of Seafarers, Warns Ship Attacks Could Disrupt Global Economic Lifeline

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a G7 outreach platform to call for dialogue, diplomacy and international cooperation to resolve conflicts, while placing maritime security and the safety of seafarers at the centre of India’s message to world leaders.

Addressing an outreach session of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, Modi said countries had a shared duty to keep sea lanes safe and ensure that crews working on merchant vessels were not exposed to fear or violence. His remarks came amid heightened concern in India over the reported deaths of Indian seafarers in waters off Oman.

Modi links maritime safety to global economic stability

Speaking at the session themed “Forging new partnerships and rebuilding international solidarity”, Modi said seafarers play a vital role in connecting economies through global trade. He said their safety could not be treated as a narrow national concern because maritime routes support energy supplies, food movement and international commerce.

“The safety of seafarers, who connect all countries through global maritime trade, is our responsibility. We must ensure that sea lanes remain safe, and seafarers can carry out their work without fear,” Modi said. He added that India was prepared to work with all partners on maritime security and wider stability concerns.

The remarks were made at a gathering attended by leaders of G7 countries and invited partner nations. India, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya and South Korea were among the countries invited to the outreach session, which focused on rebuilding international solidarity at a time of rising geopolitical distrust.

Modi’s comments carried added significance because they came against the backdrop of tensions in West Asia and reported disruption to shipping routes around the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway is among the world’s most important energy corridors, and instability in the region often has immediate consequences for crude supplies, freight costs and insurance premiums.

India raises concern over deaths of Indian seafarers

The Prime Minister referred to the human cost of conflict, noting that Indian civilians had lost their lives during the recent hostilities in West Asia. He also said friendly countries in the region had suffered loss of life and property, underlining India’s long-standing position that war creates risks far beyond the immediate battlefield.

According to the account shared in the reference material, three Indian seafarers were killed when the tanker MT Settebello was attacked by a US aircraft near Oman. The incident reportedly involved merchant vessels with more than 65 Indian crew members and led New Delhi to lodge formal protests with the United States.

The external affairs ministry is said to have summoned the senior-most American diplomat in New Delhi twice over the matter. External affairs minister S Jaishankar also raised the issue during a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the provided details.

The episode has sharpened focus on the vulnerability of Indian seafarers, who form a major part of the global merchant shipping workforce. Indian crew members work across oil tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and offshore vessels, often in high-risk waters affected by piracy, sanctions enforcement, military tensions or regional conflict.

Dialogue and trust at the centre of India’s G7 message

Modi welcomed progress in peace efforts in West Asia and reiterated that lasting solutions to wars could only come through diplomacy. “India firmly believes that a lasting solution to the ongoing tensions and wars in various parts of the world is possible only through dialogue, diplomacy, and international cooperation,” he said.

The Prime Minister also placed trust at the heart of global partnerships. He said the world had become deeply interconnected through mobility, data, capital, technology and supply chains. In such an environment, he argued, countries could not afford to treat interdependence as a tool of pressure.

“In such times, the importance of partnerships naturally increases. But partnerships succeed only when trust is at their core. Today, the most important strategic asset is not minerals, technologies or markets, but mutual trust,” Modi said. He added that technology and supply chains should not be used “as weapons”.

His remarks appeared aimed at a broader international audience, but they also reflected India’s concerns over economic coercion, tariff barriers, technology restrictions and the weaponisation of trade. New Delhi has repeatedly argued that resilient global systems must be inclusive, rules-based and sensitive to the needs of developing countries.

Modi said the systems created after the two world wars were meant to support peace, stability and prosperity, but the trust built over decades was weakening. He also referred to the Covid pandemic, saying it had exposed the limits of claims about solidarity among nations.

Invoking former US president Ronald Reagan’s phrase “Trust, but verify”, Modi said the idea remained relevant. He said countries had a responsibility to build a reliable, rules-based order suitable for a new era, where cooperation was not reduced to convenience or short-term alignment.

The outreach session also came ahead of a planned bilateral meeting between Modi and US President Donald Trump on the margins of the summit. The two leaders briefly exchanged pleasantries before the session, their first in-person contact since a meeting in Washington in February 2025.

For India, the message at the G7 was two-fold: conflicts must be resolved through diplomacy, and global trade routes must remain safe for civilian shipping. By linking seafarer safety with trust, supply chains and economic stability, Modi framed maritime security as a shared responsibility rather than a regional concern.