New Delhi, March 12 (NationPress) The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways announced on Thursday that the count of Indian-flagged vessels operating in the Persian Gulf region remains steady at 28. All Indian ships and their crews are under continuous surveillance to ensure their safety and security.

Among these vessels, 24 are situated west of the Strait of Hormuz, with 677 Indian seafarers on board, while four vessels are positioned east of the strait, accommodating 101 Indian seafarers.

Authorities, along with ship managers and recruitment agencies, are working closely with Indian embassies and local authorities to guarantee safety and provide medical assistance, as stated.

Precautionary advisories aimed at protecting Indian seafarers, Indian-flagged vessels, and maritime trade operations, issued by DG Shipping on February 28, continue to be effective.

Overall, port operations across India are stable. A Standard Operating Procedure has been implemented for all major ports and State Maritime Boards to ensure proactive facilitation for shipping lines and exporters through coordinated stakeholder efforts and timely grievance resolution. A nodal officer has been designated as a Single Point of Contact for all major ports, according to the statement.

Major ports are also instructed to prioritize berthing for LPG vessels.

Ports have introduced facilitation measures, such as allowing the storage of affected Middle East-bound cargo as transshipment cargo, allocating additional storage space, enabling ad-hoc vessel berthing, prioritizing the handling of perishable goods and returning export cargo, expediting “Back to Town” movements in coordination with Customs, and enhancing bunkering support whenever possible.

Furthermore, major ports have been advised to collaborate with Customs and DGFT, consider relief in port charges, and submit daily action reports to the Ministry to ensure seamless logistics support during this crisis.

The government has implemented coordinated actions across infrastructure, financial facilitation, energy security monitoring, and vessel safety operations.

A dedicated 24-hour control room has been established in both the Ministry and the Directorate General of Shipping. The Directorate maintains constant communication with ship owners, operators, and seafarers' families to provide timely updates and necessary assistance.

There have been maritime incidents involving Indian crew on foreign-flagged vessels, with 78 Indian seafarers reported onboard. Among them, 70 are unharmed, while 4 have sustained injuries but are stable. Unfortunately, there are 3 casualties, and one seafarer remains missing, as per the ministry’s update.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is closely monitoring the current maritime situation in the Persian Gulf region and has enhanced its monitoring and preparedness measures in light of the evolving circumstances.