Image for representation purposes only The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO) has called on governments and international organisations to step up protection for seafarers and civilian merchant ships after reporting a rise in attacks targeting commercial vessels across several key shipping routes. In a statement issued on July 29, INTERCARGO said it had seen a “noticeable shift towards the direct targeting of commercial shipping.” It said seafarers are civilians carrying out essential work and should never be treated as military targets. The appeal follows a series of attacks on commercial ships operating in the Black Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Strait of Hormuz. “Merchant vessels not involved in hostilities have long been recognised as deserving protection, and attacks on them put the lives of ordinary working people at risk for reasons that have nothing to do with their jobs,” INTERCARGO said. The association urged governments, international institutions and parties involved in armed conflict to take concrete steps to stop attacks on civilian merchant ships and protect the crews operating them. “Our members continue to move the food, fertiliser and goods that people and economies depend on. Every seafarer deserves to do that job safely and to return home,” it added. Black Sea attacks continue INTERCARGO’s appeal comes as commercial shipping in the Black Sea remains exposed to conflict-related risks. On July 29, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine said it was closely monitoring the situation involving the merchant vessel MV Amir1, which has 13 Indian seafarers among its 15-member crew, after reports that the ship was exposed to repeated drone and missile attacks near Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) described the situation for the crew at the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk as “terrible and life-threatening” because of continued missile and