As many as 27 Indian ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Aden region due to the conflict in West Asia and the government should intervene diplomatically with Iran and Israel for safe movement of Indian ships through Hormuz Strait, Indian National Shipowners Association has said.
In a letter to the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, the Association CEO Anil Devli has said that Indian flag ships caught in the region could be worth Rs 10,000 crore and have large crews whose safety has to be ensured.
What did Anil Devli say?
He said these ships are loaded with crude oil and LPG that is bound for India and the ships waiting South of the Hormuz Strait are waiting to load additional cargo. One Indian ship had a close shave with a missile dropping a mile from the ship.
“While our ships are waiting, news reports are sharing conflicting pieces of information about the current passage of mainly Chinese and Iranian ships via the Hormuz Strait that reported to have been seen passing in both directions. But there are also reports of indiscriminate shooting from the Iranian Coast Guard,” he said.
India should convey through diplomatic channels to the decision-making authorities in Iran and Israel that safe movement of Indian flag ships in and out of the Hormuz Strait should be permitted so that India’s energy needs are met with an uninterrupted supply, Devli added.
85% of India’s LPG imports
It is reported that about 85% of India’s LPG imports are shipped via the Hormuz Strait. Given the voluminous amounts imported from the region, it is not a trivial product or volume that can be easily substituted, he said.
Unlike previous disruptions from late 2023 that were localized to the Red Sea, the current situation involves a dual-front crisis: the Red Sea-Suez Canal corridor and the Strait of Hormuz.
Over 170 container ships and scores of oil/LNG tankers are currently “anchored” or “trapped” within the Persian Gulf or its approaches, unable to exit due to the Hormuz Strait blockade. The ports in the region are also working much below capacity.