Indian seafarers, vessels safe near Strait of Hormuz: Ministry

The Ministry of Ports assured Indian seafarers and vessels near the Strait of Hormuz are safe, with no incidents in 72 hours. Opesh Kumar Sharma confirmed the situation is stable and denied any attack on the LPG vessel Nanda Devi.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on Thursday assured that all Indian seafarers and vessels operating in and around the West of the Strait of Hormuz remain safe, with no maritime incident reported in the past 72 hours, as India continues to monitor regional shipping routes closely.

While responding to questions from the press during an inter-ministerial briefing, Opesh Kumar Sharma, Director in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said that the situation west of the Strait of Hormuz remains stable from India's shipping safety perspective.

Situation Stable, No Incidents Reported

"On the status of ships west of the Strait of Hormuz, as I said, all Indian flagged ships are safe, and all Indian seafarers on foreign-flagged ships are also safe, and there is no incident which has been reported in the past 72 hours. And the control room at DG Shipping is fully functional and remains in touch with our seafarers," he said.

Sharma also clarified that there has been no attack on the LPG vessel Nanda Devi. He said, "In terms of LPG vessel Nanda Devi, as per my input, there is no attack on this vessel."

Response Mechanism and Seafarer Communication

During the inter-ministerial briefing, Sharma said that India's maritime response mechanism remains fully active and in constant coordination with global and domestic stakeholders. "Ministry of Port, Shipping, and Waterways continues to coordinate with Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions abroad and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and uninterrupted maritime operations. All Indian seafarers in the region are safe, and no incident involving an Indian seafarer on any Indian flag vessel or foreign flag vessel has been reported in the past 72 hours," Sharma said.

He further informed that the Directorate General of Shipping's control room has been actively managing large volumes of communication from seafarers and their families since its activation. "The Directorate General Shipping control room has handled more than 11,600 calls and more than 25,800 emails since activation. In the last 72 hours, a total of 444 calls and 1,034 emails have been received from seafarers, their families, and maritime stakeholders," he said.

Repatriation Efforts and Domestic Impact

Highlighting evacuation and assistance efforts, Sharma noted that thousands of Indian seafarers have already been safely brought back from affected regions in the Gulf. "The ministry through the Directorate General of Shipping has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 3,474 Indian seafarers so far, including 28 in the last 72 hours from various locations across the Gulf region," he said.

He also confirmed that maritime trade and port infrastructure within India remain unaffected by the regional situation. "Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion reported," he added. (ANI)

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