Hailing from Calcutta, and with a Maritime DNA, the sea and water were never far! Holiday visits to Hooghly river, Sunday fall-ins at INS Hooghly (later renamed INS Netaji Subhash) as part of the Sea Cadet Corps, and later having joined the Scindia Steam Navigation Co ltd., Calcutta was the home port, being the last port of discharge and first port of loading, with surveys and docking in between! A month’s stay was assured. 11KPD was the coveted berth, Nizam’s at Esplanade and Metro cinema were second homes. Public bus routes 12A, 12B and 12C were all too familiar, as probably the only modes of transport back to docks after a ‘night show’ at Metro! A combination of the Indian CDC with a ‘Seamen’s Identity Card (issued by Shipping Master)was an all powerful document that permitted an Indian seafarer to traipse the world in gay abandon. I have joined a ship in Italy with a visa stamped on my CDC as I had no passport, sailed for 9 months and flew back to India from Antwerp with an overnight stay in London! A fairy tale that ended in the mid-eighties. Oh, would I love to lead that life again!

The stories of World War II (1939-1945) will be incomplete without the mention of the Atlantic convoys and the mayhem caused by the German U Boats. The memorial in the Indian Sailor Home (Dongri, Mumbai- and recently visited by HRH Princess Anne) stands testimony to 6,500 Indian Merchant seafarers who met their watery graves. Then, we witnessed the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s, both nations being rich in the most coveted of all natural resources- OIL. Both sides engaged in attacking cargo ships which were destined to load at the ports/terminals of the ‘other party’, and many ‘innocent’ seafarers lost their lives. However, since the war was very ‘localised’ in the Persian Gulf, it did not draw as much global attention, not to mention there was no social media then.

Then the leader in Iraq decided that it was time for some excitement, and walked into Kuwait and took possession. The world was aghast, especially the West, who championed human rights, law of the land, UN charter and every other document to declare that this was unacceptable. Result=the first ‘Gulf War’. Then for some unexplained reason (to me at least), the powers that be decided that it was time to unleash its might on Iraq again resulting in the second ‘Gulf War’. The simplistic history from the eyes of the seafarer ends here.

On September 11th, 2001, some fanatics decided to take matters in their own hands and unleashed a series of attacks which changed the future of the world, as well as the life of the seafarer. ISPS was unleashed with all its might and suddenly the seafarer was considered a potential risk! The same seafarer who moves 11 billion tonnes (stats of 2021 from UNCTAD) in a year, is an ‘essential worker’ as loftily proclaimed by IMO, ILO, ITF and host of other luminaries, once he brings the cargo safely to the shore is then a potential terrorist! Wonder what sort of magic potion was served to him to effect this sudden transformation! From the time the vessel arrives port to the time the vessel departs, he is treated at best, as any of the following- unwanted, undesirable, suspicious, potential carrier of diseases, smuggler etc. And these are the nice ones!

Now circa 2022 onwards.

Russia attacked Ukraine on 24th February 2022, of course not missing out on the merchant ships in and around Ukraine. Why miss out on ‘sitting ducks’ who cannot retaliate and will draw the attention of the world? Never mind the innocent seafarer who was doing his job as ordered and did not want to be part of the mess anyway.

Then on 7th October 2023, a bunch of bored people in Gaza decided enough was enough (of what?) and launched an attack on Israel. And Israel counter attacked. The rest, as they say, is history. Anybody who believed he was somebody, or wanted to be somebody, said or wanted to say, about someone, something that ought to be done or ought not to have been done, to someone, at some time… Confused?

Ask the seafarer who is presently transiting the Red Sea what he thinks. All he knows and understands is that a usually calm passage in rather serene surroundings through the Red Sea (north or south bound) has suddenly become the most dangerous and uncertain transits! Now he has to worry about Houthis, their military capability, who supports whom, who is against whom, and why is he under threat, when some party wants to teach a lesson to another party who is a thousand miles away? Go figure!

And the armchair specialists are pouring over law books, quoting Articles 17, 18, 19 of UNCLOS, the definition of innocent passage, the limits of Territorial Sea and responsibility of littoral states, whilst the hapless seafarer (and his family) wonder what have they done to deserve this? And then we wonder why seafaring is not a preferred career and how to make seafaring an attractive career choice!

Hailing from the City of Joy, I cannot avoid quoting the iconic song: Tor daak shunay keu na aashay, tobay ekala chalo ray!

Marex Media