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The Directorate General of Maritime Administration, a subordinate office of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has instituted a graded 'Seafarer-First' framework in response to the security situation in Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters.
The latest circular, issued on 15 July 2026, advises ship owners, managers and recruitment companies to avoid deploying Indian seafarers on voyages passing through the Strait of Hormuz until further orders.
A real-time reporting, tracking and monitoring mechanism is operational, supported by a 24-hour Control Room, the DG Communication Centre and a Situation Report issued every 24 hours recording vessel-wise positions and the number of Indian seafarers on board.
DGS Circular No. 08 of 2024 establishes the standing maritime security architecture, including the online Ship Reporting Form
Circular No. 01 of 2026, issued pursuant to advice from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Tehran, directs recruitment and shipping companies not to deploy Indian seafarers to Iran
Circular No. 08 of 2026 mandates ship-shore security drills covering loitering munitions and unmanned surface vessels, testing of the Ship Security Alert System before transit, and reporting of electronic interference or GNSS disruption; Circular No. 09 of 2026 asks Indian seafarers in Iran to register with the Embassy
Circular No. 21 of 2026 issues a safety advisory for Indian seafarers ashore in Iran and on vessels in Iranian waters
Circular No. 31 of 2026 restricts deployment of Indian seafarers to conflict areas, except emergency crew changes with consent
Circular No. 33 of 2026, issued on improvement in the situation, supersedes the restriction and permits normal operations subject to caution, and sets out a coordinated evacuation mechanism
The eNavik Portal is operationalised
Circular No. 36 of 2026, on renewed escalation, advises against deploying Indian seafarers on voyages through the Strait of Hormuz and requires full compliance with the ISPS Code
The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea exit from the Persian Gulf, connecting it to the Gulf of Oman and from there to the open ocean. Iran holds the northern shore along with the islands of Qeshm, Hormuz and Larak, while Oman controls the southern side through its Musandam Peninsula exclave — an exclave because it is separated from the rest of Oman by UAE territory. The strait runs about 167 km long and narrows to roughly 33 km, and because the water near the coasts is shallow, tankers are confined to two shipping lanes about 3 km wide each, separated by a 2 km buffer. That geography is what makes it the world's most important oil chokepoint: it is the primary export route for petroleum from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and around a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade passes through it, averaging some 20 million barrels a day in 2025. For India the exposure is twofold — a large share of crude imports, and a workforce, since Indian seafarers form a significant part of the global maritime crew pool.
Simple Analogy: It is a single-lane bridge carrying a quarter of the world's seaborne oil, with the two sides of the bridge held by different countries.
The reporting requirement under DGS Circular No. 08 of 2024 covers a corridor of West Asian waters rather than a single strait: the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and adjacent waters. Read together these form the sea route from the Gulf oil terminals through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Sea, and westward from the Gulf of Aden through Bab-el-Mandeb into the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal. Iran commands the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz and the islands of Qeshm, Hormuz and Larak; Oman holds the southern side through the Musandam Peninsula, an exclave cut off from the rest of Oman by UAE territory.
The subordinate office of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways that issues the DGS circulars, runs the DG Communication Centre and administers the Seafarer-First framework
The UN specialised agency for maritime safety and security, and one of the bodies with which the coordinated evacuation mechanism operates
Works with the DG Communication Centre and the Indian Navy on continuous real-time monitoring of vessels in the region
International maritime coordination bodies included in the coordinated evacuation mechanism set out in Circular No. 33 of 2026
GS Paper 2 > International Relations > West Asia; GS Paper 1 > Geography > Important Straits
General Awareness > World Geography
General Awareness > Maritime Security
General Awareness > World Geography
Straits and chokepoints are near-annual Prelims material, and the Strait of Hormuz recurs whenever West Asian security or oil prices are in the news
A narrow shipping passage whose closure or disruption would affect a disproportionate share of global trade
Oman's exclave on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz, separated from the rest of Oman by UAE territory
The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, compliance with which was mandated in the July 2026 advisory
The onboard system that transmits a covert security alert, required to be tested before transit under the February 2026 circular
The integrated digital platform operationalised on 1 July 2026 for marine casualty reporting, crisis management and seafarer grievance redressal
Interference with satellite navigation signals, which vessels are required to report immediately to the DG Communication Centre