Indian seafarers are still taking jobs on merchant ships operating in areas affected by the Iran conflict, despite significant dangers at sea. India is described as one of the largest sources of merchant shipping labor worldwide, with India’s shipping ministry citing more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025. Several accounts describe how the work is often seen in India as a route to better pay and improved livelihoods, including for people from farming backgrounds. At the same time, sources say incidents linked to the wider conflict have resulted in fatalities and severe harm. One example recounts a voyage in which an attack led a sailor to dive into the ocean to escape, after which two fellow Indian sailors on the same ship were killed. Both sources frame the situation as a continuing pattern of risk for Indian sailors working in merchant shipping routes influenced by the Middle East war, with casualties among Indians noted in connection with the conflict’s escalation. The reported accounts focus on both the economic appeal of seafaring employment and the ongoing hazards created by the conflict for merchant crews.