New Delhi:
Two India-flagged Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) LPG tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz today and are headed towards India. The names of the ships are Shivalik and Nanda Devi. Sources said it was a very careful operation with the cooperation of Iran and all other countries in that area. The passage of these two ships comes after a series of conversations between the Indian and the Iranian leaderships over the last few days, they added.
India has intensified efforts to secure safe passage for over two dozen Indian-flagged merchant vessels currently stationed on either side of the Strait of Hormuz. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has had four rounds of phone calls – on February 28, March 5, March 10 and March 12 – with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi since the beginning of the Middle East crisis. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Shivalik is loaded with approximately 40,000 metric tons of gas, and even Nanda Devi is carrying a large quantity of supplies.
The tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds of ships – incuding 28 India-flagged – had been stranded since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, and Tehran targeted the region in retaliation, a day after another vessel sailing to India crossed the strategic narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman.
Another Indian-flagged oil tanker, Jag Prakash, which is carrying gasoling from Oman to Africa, also set sail from east of the Strait of Hormuz, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping, said at a media briefing yesterday.
Around 23,000 Indian seafarers are working across merchant, harbour and offshore vessels in the wider Gulf region. Live updates here.
During his conversation with Pezeshkian, PM Modi expressed deep concern over escalating hostilities and the loss of civilian lives. “The safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India’s top priority,” he posted on X.
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