Over 40 India-bound vessels stuck amid Hormuz deadlock | India News
New Delhi: Amid news that Iran and the US are set to return to the negotiating table after weeks of deadlock over ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, officials said an early resolution to the conflict would come as a huge relief to more than 40 India-bound vessels and a large number of Indian crew members stranded for two months. These vessels are carrying LPG, LNG and crude, fertilizers and other products. The government says 13 Indian-flagged ships are still in the Persian Gulf. Several foreign-flagged ships carrying India-bound cargo were also stranded west of Hormuz. The government has drawn up a list of 41 priority ships – 18 are loaded with energy products, another 16 are carrying fertilizers and the remaining seven are carrying other items. There is a dire need to evacuate these vessels for fuel security and to meet the requirement of fertiliser, which will go for sowing of kharif crops. Officials said that while efforts are underway to persuade shipping lines to return their ships to the Persian Gulf and a list of more than 22 such energy vessels has been compiled and shared with concerned agencies, no movement can be made until the strait is opened to commercial traffic. On April 30, TOI reported that the Union Ministry of Shipping had shared a list of India-bound “priority ships” with the Ministry of External Affairs, suggesting the option of diverting them through Oman’s territorial waters. “Not only us, every country affected by this blockade is waiting and hopeful for a quick solution,” said an official.
