New Delhi: Amid renewed fighting between the US and Iran, the Indian government has ordered shipowners, managers and recruitment companies to not deploy Indian seafarers on vessels undertaking trips through the Strait of Hormuz, reported Reuters.“No deployment of Indian seafarers on vessels undertaking voyages involving passage through the Strait of Hormuz until further orders,” said the Directorate General of Shipping in an order issued late Wednesday (July 15).The order comes after two Indian seafarers were killed in attacks on vessels in the region over the last three days, even as the impasse over the Strait of Hormuz continues and the US and Iran continue to engage in hostilities.“In view of the heightened security situation in the Persian Gulf region … the Directorate considers it necessary to adopt enhanced precautionary measures to safeguard the interests of Indian seafarers serving on board ships operating in the region,” the Directorate’s order issued on Wednesday added.At present, India is the world’s third-largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 300,000 sailors working across global shipping fleets, according to government data, reported Reuters.Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that it had summoned the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mohammad Javad Hosseini, of the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi and said that it has lodged a “strong protest” with him against these attacks which resulted to deaths and injuries to Indian seafarers.India on July 12 had condemned the attack on the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman, saying one Indian national remains missing while 10 others have been rescued. No information has arrived on the missing Indian so far.Last month, US strikes killed three Indian sailors aboard the tanker Settebello. India twice summoned the US embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Jason Meeks, to protest the attacks.Overall, 13 Indian nationals have been killed in the West Asia conflict triggered by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on Tuesday (July 14). Three others remain missing in the Gulf.The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and carries over one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies. Any disruption here causes immediate shockwaves through energy markets, shipping networks, and global inflation.After the US and Israel attacked it, Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, a tactic that proved its greatest strategic advantage.In its order on Wednesday, the Directorate also asked masters of the vessels to ensure that they are sufficiently vigilant about the security situation in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and adjoining waters, calling for continuous monitoring of navigational warnings.