A day after three ships – including an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker – crossed the Strait of Hormuz, the Indian-flagged bulk carrier APJ Priti 2 crossed the strait on Saturday via the Iranian route, according to a status report issued by the Indian government. The ship was carrying 65,000 metric tons of fertilizer cargo and bore serial number 9 on the Shipping Directorate’s previous evacuation priority list.
The crossing came hours after a tanker carrying Qatari oil was hit inside the strait — the second attack on a commercial ship this week — prompting maritime authorities to raise the regional threat level to “substantial.”
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center said that the ship suffered damage to the bridge due to an unidentified projectile. The crew was safe and there was no environmental damage. The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), which coordinates navies and merchant shipping, issued a heightened threat assessment after Thursday’s strike on the Ever Lovely container ship had already prompted the United States to retaliate against Iran, with Tehran saying it had struck US assets in turn.
The International Maritime Organization separately warned on Friday of the possibility of planting about 80 mines in the strait. Under its agreement with the United States, Iran is supposed to bear responsibility for removing them, although it remains unclear how much of this has been implemented.
The directorate said in the same report that 15 ships of Indian interest are still stuck in the Arabian Gulf, west of the strait, and have been designated for evacuation. These vessels include one power cargo ship identified by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG); Four ships carrying fertilizers, identified by the Fertilizers Department of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers; and ten other vessels of Indian interest, identified by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW).
As of Saturday, ten Indian ships were stationed in the Persian Gulf, west of the strait.
So far, 44 ships carrying goods bound for India have transited the strait – 19 of them between March 1 and June 17, and another 25 since the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States on June 17.
The total includes 17 Indian-flagged ships and 27 foreign-flagged ships, the latter spread across the Marshall Islands (7), Liberia (6), Panama (4), Portugal (2), and one each from Malta, Cayman Islands, Greece, Gibraltar, Vietnam, Singapore, China and Hong Kong.
By ship type, the transfers included 15 bulk carriers, 13 LPG carriers, 11 crude oil tankers, two LNG carriers, one container ship, one oil/chemical tanker, and one diving support ship.
The directorate said that there are currently no ships heading to West Asia waiting in Indian ports, whether major or otherwise. Chabahar port is still operating.
There are a total of 452 Indian sailors on board Indian-flagged ships in the Arabian Gulf region – 226 to the west of the strait and 226 in the Gulf of Oman. Separately, 3,757 seafarers have been evacuated by shipping companies so far.
The directorate recorded four incidents involving ships flying the Indian flag and 19 incidents involving ships flying foreign flags with an Indian crew on board, resulting in seven deaths, one death and four injuries. The situation is being closely monitored in coordination with the Indian Navy, the directorate said, adding that constant communication is being maintained with the sailors’ families and the 24×7 communication center control room of the directorate-general remains functional.
