Originally, there were 28 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz when the war in the Middle East broke out following US-Israel attacks on Iran. Of these, 24 were on the west side of the strait and four on the east side. In the last week, two vessels from each side have managed to sail to safety.
“All 611 seafarers on 22 vessels (on the west side of the Strait) are safe,” he told a news briefing.
There are now 3 vessels on the east side after one more Indian-flagged ship joined them.
Of the 22 remaining Indian-flagged vessels on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz, six are LPG carriers, one is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, four are crude oil tankers, one is transporting chemical products, three are container ships, and two are bulk carriers.
Additionally, one vessel is a dredger, another is empty with no cargo, and three are in dry dock undergoing routine maintenance.
Sinha said efforts are on to secure passage of the Indian vessels through the war-hit strait.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran’s sweeping retaliation.
Overall, close to 500 tanker vessels remain confined to the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. These include 108 crude oil tankers, 166 oil product tankers, 104 chemical/product tankers, 52 chemical tankers and 53 other tanker types.
