A British maritime safety review has been demanded after the last phone call of an Indian sailor killed in a US strike was released. The sailor, identified as 38-year-old Rajesh Kumar, a chief officer on the tanker M/T Artemis, was killed when US forces intercepted the vessel in the Arabian Sea on 12 March. According to a recording obtained by Reuters, Kumar told his wife, “They are shooting at us.
I love you. I have to go,” before the line went dead. The strike, which US Central Command said targeted “Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists,” has drawn sharp criticism from maritime unions and Indian diplomats.
The UK’s National Maritime Security Council has faced calls from Labour MP John Healey to “urgently review” safety protocols for foreign-flagged vessels operating under British insurance. “If British insurers are underwriting ships in conflict zones, the government has a duty to ensure crew safety,” Healey said on Wednesday. Kumar’s family, speaking from his hometown of Kochi, said he had expressed concerns about the vessel’s route shortly before departure.
The Foreign Office declined to comment on the demand, but a spokesperson said it was “monitoring the situation closely.” The incident has reignited debate over the use of civilian merchant ships in military operations, with the International Transport Workers’ Federation accusing the US of “reckless disregard for non-combatant life.
