Seafarers hold silent protest in Visakhapatnam against killings in war zones
Merchant navy seafarers in Visakhapatnam held a silent protest to condemn the deaths of civilian crew members in ongoing war zones. The association is demanding better risk assessments and compensation for families affected by strikes in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Why it matters
The protest highlights the vulnerability of civilian maritime workers caught in the crossfire of regional geopolitical conflicts.
The Merchant Navy Officers Welfare Association (MNOWA), Visakhapatnam, conducted a silent protest from the Kali Mata temple to the YMCA on Beach Road on Sunday (August 9, 2026), condemning the killing of seafarers in war zones.
Around 40 merchant navy seafarers took part in the protest and expressed solidarity with seafarers who lost their lives and their grieving families.
MNOWA president Kali Prasad said merchant navy seafarers were civilian personnel who worked away from their families and faced risks such as rough weather and piracy while travelling to various destinations to deliver cargo. They were not combatants and should not become casualties of war, he said.
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