The government is closely monitoring the 28 Indian-flagged merchant ships currently in the Persian Gulf and is taking steps to ensure the security of 10 million Indians living in West Asia and facilitate the return of citizens stranded in the region due to the Iran-US conflict, senior officials said on Wednesday.
A total of 24 Indian-flagged ships with 677 Indian sailors on board are currently located west of the Strait of Hormuz, while four ships carrying 101 Indian sailors are east of the vital waterway, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary at the Indian Ministry of Shipping, said at a press conference on developments in West Asia.
Indians make up approximately 12% of the global maritime workforce, with a total of more than 320,000 active seafarers, and attacks on merchant ships during recent conflicts in West Asia have led to Indian casualties. Two Indians were killed and another is missing following the two recent attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
“We are actively monitoring these ships and their crew for their safety and security. The authorities, ship managers and recruitment agencies are closely coordinating with Indian embassies and local authorities to ensure their safety and provide medical assistance to them,” Sinha said.
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The Directorate General of Shipping has issued advisories on precautionary measures to protect Indian seafarers and Indian-flagged vessels, including adoption of enhanced security measures and strict compliance with reporting protocols.
Sinha said that overall port operations across India are “stable” and ports have been directed to provide assistance to reduce difficulties faced by exporters and to ensure continuity of exports and imports. Major ports have implemented measures such as continuous monitoring of ship movement in coordination with shipping lines and ship agents.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said that two Indian nationals – one in Israel and the other in Dubai – were injured in the attacks and are recovering in hospital. “The welfare of the diaspora is a top priority for us,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister spoke to the leaders of Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE and Israel to ensure the welfare of 10 million Indians in the region.
Steps are being taken to ensure the security of around 9,000 Indian nationals in Iran, with students and pilgrims being shifted to safer places. “Our embassy in Tehran helps people cross the land borders into Armenia and Azerbaijan and take commercial flights from there to return home,” Jaiswal said.
Asim Mahajan, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs in charge of West Asia, said that Indian missions are coordinating with governments of West Asian countries to assist Indian citizens stranded in the region due to widespread airspace closure. Indian citizens were helped to travel from Bahrain, where the airspace is closed, to Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia so that they can get flights.
“Flight operations in the UAE continued, including a lot of unscheduled commercial flights, and were able to cater to most people who were in transit,” Mahajan said. Regular flights are also operated from Jeddah, Medina and Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“There is very strong coordination between ministries. Whenever any assistance is needed, Indian missions reach out immediately to help people,” he said.
