New Delhi, May 6 — Opesh Kumar Sharma, Director of Shipping at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said all Indian seafarers in the Gulf remain safe and no incident involving an Indian-flagged vessel has been reported in the past 48 hours.
Sharma said the ministry has facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,999 seafarers overall, including 23 who were returned in the last 48 hours. He added that there have been no reported incidents on foreign-flagged vessels carrying Indian crew.
The ministry is coordinating closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian diplomatic missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and maintain uninterrupted maritime operations, Sharma said.
A control room established at DG Shipping has handled 8,570 calls and more than 18,732 emails to date; in the past 48 hours it received 156 calls and 668 emails. Port operations across India are running normally and congestion has not been reported.
When asked about remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on elements of Operation Epic Fury and a possible fragile ceasefire, Sharma said he could not comment on US actions. He stressed that the Government of India, working through a whole-of-government approach with the MEA and Indian missions, is continuously monitoring the situation and would not speculate on international relations.
On moving Indian vessels out of the region, Sharma said about 11 vessels carrying Indian cargo — 10 of them Indian-flagged — have already transited the Strait of Hormuz. The most recent, Sarvashakti, crossed on May 2 and is expected to reach New Mangalore by May 8. He said efforts are ongoing, in coordination with the MEA, to move cargo and flagged ships out of the area as quickly as possible.
Sharma said all relevant ministries are working to normalize trade and reduce congestion. Port occupancy has declined to about 60 percent from 80 percent, and containers previously held back for inland delivery have fallen by roughly 99 percent. Alternate shipping services have been activated with carriers such as CMA CGM, Unifeeder and Maersk linking JNPA, Mundra and Hazira to Sohar, Al Fujairah and Khor Fakkan to enable cargo movement.
‘Unfortunately, there is no Cape of Good Hope for the Strait of Hormuz,’ he noted, while adding that governments and industry are pursuing alternative routes and supply sources. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has briefed that there is no shortage of supplies.
Regarding Indian-flagged tankers, Sharma said around 13 are presently chartered by various oil companies, though that number changes as charters are revised.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would project military strength to defend its national interests and described the current operation as defensive, saying ‘there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.’
This report is based on a syndicated feed and is published as received; the publisher assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.
