New Delhi, July 22 -- The lethal targeting of the bulk carrier MV Golden Leo off Odesa by Russia on 19 July serves as a grim case study for a deeper, systemic crisis transforming global maritime trade: the total erasure of non-combatant immunity by contemporary military powers.

The Guinea-Bissau-flagged, Turkish-owned vessel was targeted with three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles. At least one landed a direct hit on the vessel's starboard superstructure and initiated a major fire. It had a routine cargo of corn. It was manned by a 17-member international crew consisting of 12 Syrians and 5 Indians, and a Ukrainian harbour pilot brought on board expressly for exiting the harbour. The strike resulted in 10 confirmed fatalities: 5 Syrians, 1 Uk...