New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) India is in touch with the Iranian authorities for the safety of its ships and for their safe exit through the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.
The comments by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at an inter-ministerial briefing here on the West Asia situation came in response to a query on two Indian vessels having reported a firing incident recently while transiting the critical maritime sea lane. Details were also sought about the steps New Delhi has taken to ensure safety of Indian vessels.
“In the past 48 hours, two Indian vessels, VLCC Samnar Herald and Bulk Carrier Jag Arnav, reported a firing incident while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, following which they returned to the Persian Gulf. There has been no injury to any crew reported,” the Indian government said in an official statement after the briefing.
The safety and security of Indian seafarers is the top priority of government of India, it said.
“We have several of our ships in the Persian Gulf. And we have been in touch with Iran and others, so that we can have a safe exit of our ships through the Strait of Hormuz. In this effort, 10 of our ships have so far safely crossed the the Strait of Hormuz… One ship is to reach, it will happen soon, as my colleague gave you details of that,” Jaiswal said.
“When the firing incident happened, this happened on Saturday, two of our ships came under firing. When this matter was reported to us, we took it up very strongly. We called in the Iranian ambassador, he had a meeting with the foreign secretary. The foreign secretary conveyed our deep concerns on the incident and also reiterated the point that we have been making,” he said.
The MEA spokesperson said India attaches very high importance to the safety and security of its mariners and commercial shipping.
“And that there should be unimpeded transit through the Strait of Hormuz. So, these points were put forth. The ambassador was told that this may be conveyed to authorities back home. We continue to be in touch with the Iranian authorities for the safety of our ships, for their safe exit through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) tanker is the 10th India-flagged vessel to have crossed the strait since early March, authorities said earlier.
Crude oil tanker Desh Garima, with 31 Indian seafarers onboard, crossed the strategic waterway on April 18 and is expected to reach Mumbai on April 22, they said.
Additional Secretary (Gulf), MEA, Aseem R Mahajan said flights continue to operate from the region to India from countries where airspace is open.
Since February 28, around 11.3 lakh passengers have travelled from the region to India, he said.
The West Asia conflict has stretched for over 50 days.
“Israel airspace is open, and limited flight operations have resumed to destinations in the region, which can be used for onward travel to India. We also continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals from Israel, through Jordan and Egypt to India,” the statement said. PTI KND PRK
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