As many as 22 ships in the war zone critical to the country’s energy security have been identified for evacuation, the directorate of shipping based in Mumbai listed it on its situation report on Thursday.
The development comes on the day when officials aware of the details said India was in touch with Iranian authorities to arrange the safe passage of almost 30 Indian-flagged merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed by the Iranian military because of the conflict with Israel and the US.
The report prepared by Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan said that for the purpose of evacuation of these vessels, coordination is ongoing to enable planning of naval escorts and other protective measures to ensure their safe and orderly exit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Coordination is underway with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Directorate of Naval Operations (DNO), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), for the evacuation of the vessels from the Persian Gulf Region, the report said. Among the 22 energy-critical vessels, 13 are Indian-flagged. Three of them are LNG carrier, 11 are LPG carrier, eight are crude tankers.
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The approximate amount of cargo on board is LNG – 215,000 metric tons, LPG – 415,000 metric tons and Crude Oil – 1,750,000 metric tons, the report said.
In addition, three Indian-flagged container vessels have also been identified for evacuation to ensure secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The report also mentions 215 seafarers have been evacuated by various shipping companies from the Gulf region as of March 12.
The report classifies the Strait of Hormuz assessed as a high-risk maritime security zone. Severe risk prevents any transit at this time from the strait.
Of the 28 vessels in the Persian Gulf region, 24 vessels west of Strait of Hormuz; four vessels east of Strait of Hormuz/Gulf of Oman and adjacent waters, the report said.