Indian Navy Launches Emergency Mission To Rescue 18 Stranded Ships In Persian Gulf

The Indian Navy and the multi-ministry task force are evacuating 18 ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, carrying cargo bound for India.

The operation aims to restore energy security in the country and clear more than 100,000 TEUs of backlogged cargo at Indian ports.

The Government made the plan so oil tankers, LPG and LNG carriers could return safely with their cargo as Indian ports suffer from severe bottlenecks due to the U.S-Iran war.

Of the 18 ships, 4 are LPG Carriers, 3 are LNG Ships, and 11 are crude oil tankers. Among these 5 are sailing under the Indian flag, while the remaining have been leased by Indian companies.

At present, there are 15 Indian-linked vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz, 3 each in the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden, and 2 in the Red Sea.

The ports have been instructed to give priority berthing to these ships

Per reports, the LPG ship Green Asha has crossed the Strait of Hormuz and is on its way to JNPT at Mumbai.

This measure is expected to bring some respite to Indian port facilities where almost 106,890 TEUs worth of containers and massive volumes of perishable cargo remain stranded, forcing port managers to stop shipments to the Gulf until normalcy returns.

Port Managers have requested that relief be given to shipping companies in terms of docking fees to minimise demurrage and docking charges.

It is not only ships that are stuck, but also 20,000 Indian seafarers, in the Persian Gulf and the adjacent areas.

At least 475 are employed on Indian-flagged ships. Till now, the government has evacuated 1,754 seafarers are making efforts to safely rescue all of them.

The IMO has asked flag states and coastal countries to institutionalise evacuation corridors and utilise the ceasefire deal to clear the Impacted shipping routes.