India and Liberia launched a new international grouping at the United Nations to strengthen the safety and security of ships and seafarers amid rising attacks on commercial vessels. The ‘Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers’ met on Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week in New York.

The initiative comes after several attacks on commercial ships in international waters that have killed dozens of seafarers, including Indian nationals. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called for stronger international action to prevent further attacks and protect civilian shipping.

“From the Black Sea to the Red Sea to the Gulf, attacks on civilian shipping have become a growing cause of concern. These actions that disrupt maritime commerce and cost innocent lives are simply indefensible,” said Jaishankar at the event.

Jaishankar referred to the death of an Indian sailor in an attack on the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged carrier MV Cape Dove in the Gulf of Oman. The incident took place just two days before the meeting.

The external affairs minister urged countries to “close ranks and deter such attacks”. He highlighted the role of nearly two million seafarers in keeping global maritime trade running. Around 80% of international trade moves by sea, making seafarer safety a key global concern.

Jaishankar also pointed to India’s efforts to promote international cooperation on seafarer safety. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed a seafarers emergency support network at the BRICS Summit earlier this month.

“Prime Minister Modi proposed establishing a seafarers emergency support network which could connect the maritime authorities and embassies of the countries concerned and facilitate distress alerts, medical alerts, communication with family and support for evacuations where needed,” said Jaishankar.

The minister said seafarers require closer international cooperation as they often work aboard ships registered in countries different from their own nationality. This can create challenges during emergencies and requires coordination between several countries and authorities.

The new Group of Friends aims to protect seafarers through greater cooperation on maritime safety. Jaishankar said the grouping would bring together major ship-owning nations, countries with the largest number of ship registries and nations that provide largest number of seafarers.

The initiative seeks to create a broader international framework for responding to threats against commercial shipping and supporting seafarers during emergencies. It also reflects growing concerns over attacks that disrupt maritime commerce and put civilian crews at risk on major global shipping routes.