Liberia and India brought more than 20 countries together at the United Nations on Friday to launch the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers. Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar led the inaugural meeting, calling for closer cooperation to protect vessels, the people aboard them and the sea lanes they travel.
The scale of the problem reaches far beyond any one shipping route. More than 80 percent of internationally traded goods, measured by volume, move by sea, and nearly two million seafarers work aboard the world’s merchant fleets. The International Maritime Organization recorded 171 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2025, up about 17 percent from 146 the year before. Those figures do not capture every threat confronting commercial vessels, including attacks linked to armed conflicts.
Jaishankar warned that attacks on civilian shipping have become a growing concern from the Gulf and Red Sea to the Black Sea. Beyond the danger to crews, disrupted sea lanes can affect the movement of food, fuel, medicine and other goods on which countries depend. He urged governments to work together to deter attacks and respond when seafarers are placed in danger.
Liberia and India bring distinct strengths to that effort. Liberia operates the world’s largest shipping registry by gross tonnage, while India is a major source of seafarers. A ship may fly one country’s flag and carry a crew drawn from several others, making cooperation among governments essential when trouble arises at sea.
The launch also advances a relationship the two countries have been building in recent months. Nyanti visited New Delhi in August, held bilateral talks with Jaishankar and reopened Liberia’s resident embassy there. She told Friday’s meeting that the new group grew from an idea discussed during that visit.
More than 20 countries involved in ship ownership, vessel registration and seafaring joined the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers.
“Just a few weeks ago, I was in New Delhi, and this was an idea, a bilateral idea between India and Liberia,” Nyanti said. “Today, we’re sitting here, over 20 countries have signed up.” Jaishankar likewise said the two governments had “joined hands to propose” the group.
Nyanti set out three priorities for its work: vessel safety and technical standards, security against threats to commercial shipping, and protection of seafarers. She said Liberia would work with its Maritime Authority and international partners to safeguard maritime passage while protecting the country’s economic interests and maritime revenue.
Countries involved in ship ownership, vessel registration and seafaring joined the inaugural meeting. Members will now develop the group’s terms of reference, including how it can cooperate in practice and work alongside existing international maritime bodies. No specific joint response mechanism was announced on Friday.
For Liberia and India, convening the group is a first step. Its value will be judged by whether the countries around the table can agree on measures that make ships safer and help crews when danger strikes.
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