Overview
- India made the call at an informal UN Security Council Arria‑formula meeting on Thursday, pushing for coordinated international arrangements that keep essential commercial and humanitarian supplies moving during crises.
- New Delhi presented operational figures showing that, as of September 14, its maritime operations in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea had escorted 449 merchant vessels carrying about 20.3 million tonnes of cargo and oil valued at roughly $8.4 billion.
- India repeated its demand that freedom of navigation and overflight be upheld under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and warned that coercion or unlawful interference with commercial shipping must not be tolerated.
- The statement pressed for better protections for seafarers, calling for clear contingency planning on evacuation, medical aid, crew changes and repatriation with defined responsibilities for states and international agencies.
- New Delhi urged the International Maritime Organization to give formal recognition to its Information Fusion Centre‑Indian Ocean Region in IMO instruments to boost maritime domain awareness and practical burden‑sharing against unmanned and cyber threats.