Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Amid firing by Iranian gunboats that caused two Indian-flagged tankers to turn back from Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the tenth Indian-flagged vessel crossed the strait. Desh Garima, carrying crude oil, was on its way to Mumbai port. Iran had been sporadically allowing Indian vessels to sail through since it decided to block the key energy strait last month in the middle of its war with the US and Israel which began on Feb 28. Vessel details available on Maritime Traffic show that several Indian- and foreignflagged ships destined for Indian ports are still waiting to cross the Hormuz. Official data shows 13 Indian vessels are in Persian Gulf (to west of Hormuz), six in Gulf of Oman (east of Hormuz), one in Gulf of Aden and three in Red Sea. According to petroleum ministry, 17 vessels have been identified for evacuation, which include four LPG carriers, three LNG carriers and 10 crude oil tankers. While three of these are Indianflagged vessels, the remaining 14 are foreign-flagged ships. Similarly, chemicals and fertilisers ministry has drawn up a list of another 16 ships for evacuation, including one Indian-flagged vessel (Jag Arnav), which was attacked by IRGC on Saturday. Officials said that as of Saturday, there are 499 Indian seafarers aboard Indianflagged vessels in Persian Gulf region — 343 to the west of Strait of Hormuz and 156 in Gulf of Oman. So far, 2,487 seafarers have been evacuated by various shipping companies. According to Reuters, vessels attempting to cross Strait of Hormuz Saturday received radio messages from Iran’s navy telling them they were not allowed to pass, while two ships reported being hit by gunfire. Several commercial vessels tried to transit the strait after a notice to mariners a day earlier saying passage was allowed but would be restricted to lanes Iran deemed safe, said the report.
