The Merchant Navy Officers Welfare Association (MNOWA), Visakhapatnam, conducted a silent protest from the Kali Mata temple to the YMCA on Beach Road on Sunday (August 9, 2026), condemning the killing of seafarers in war zones.

Around 40 merchant navy seafarers took part in the protest and expressed solidarity with seafarers who lost their lives and their grieving families.

MNOWA president Kali Prasad said merchant navy seafarers were civilian personnel who worked away from their families and faced risks such as rough weather and piracy while travelling to various destinations to deliver cargo. They were not combatants and should not become casualties of war, he said.

The association sought fair and timely compensation and adequate support for the families of dead seafarers from shipowners and agencies. The association asked shipowners and operators to conduct full risk assessments before deploying vessels and crew in high-risk areas. It also advised seafarers to join only reputed companies.

Mr. Kali Prasad led the protest. Seafarers V.R. Sagi, Prasanna Kumar, Vasudev Rao, Mahapatra, K.K. Chand, Bagadi Lakshman Rao, Tiwari, Saroj Mishra, Pakki Prasad, Ramana Srinivas and Kuppam Prabhakar were among those who took part.

Rising toll since February

The protest comes against the backdrop of a mounting toll among Indian seafarers since the outbreak of hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States on February 28, 2026. Indian mariners have repeatedly come under drone, missile and projectile strikes across the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea.

The fatal incidents include the March 1 strike on the tanker MKD Vyom off Muscat, Oman, which killed one Indian crew member; the June 10 U.S. military strike on the MT Settebello, which killed three Indian sailors, among them Patnala Suresh, 44, a chief engineer from Visakhapatnam; and Iranian missile strikes on the tankers Al Bahyah and Mombasa on July 14, in which at least one Indian seafarer was killed. Most recently, the Indian-flagged MSV Faize Noore Oliya capsized and sank in the Red Sea off Yemen on August 4 after being struck by a projectile, an attack Yemeni authorities attributed to Houthi forces. All 14 crew members aboard, including 13 Indians, were rescued.

Published - August 09, 2026 03:38 pm IST