File photo: Ships in Hormuz

NEW DELHI: India’s maritime regulator, Directorate General of Shipping, has directed shipowners, ship managers and recruitment and placement service (RPS) agencies to avoid deploying Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz until further orders, reports Dipak Dash.The regulator issued the advisory Wednesday night after recent incidents involving attacks on five foreign-flagged merchant vessels. Two such attacks Tuesday were on foreign-flagged commercial ships in the West Asia region that had 30 Indian seafarers.The advisory on precautionary measures for safety and security of Indian seafarers said, “In view of the heightened security situation in Gulf region, including incidents resulting in casualties among Indian seafarers and continuing attacks on merchant vessels during the ongoing conflict, the directorate considers it necessary to adopt enhanced precautionary measures to safeguard the interests of Indian seafarers serving on board ships operating in the region.“A month ago, DG Shipping had asked fleet owners and recruitment firms to restrict deployment of seafarers in the region following attacks on commercial vessels that had tried to bypass the US imposed blockade. On Tuesday, shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal had directed DG Shipping to have a vessel-by-vessel operational dashboard to account for every such ship.