Sinha said that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf area are safe. Screengrab: @PIB_India
LPG carrier Shivalik from Persian Gulf to reach India today: Govt
Government says LPG vessel Shivalik will reach India around 5 pm while authorities continue monitoring Indian ships and seafarers operating near the Strait of Hormuz
The Centre on Monday (March 16) said that the Indian LPG carrier Shivalik,, heading to India from the Persian Gulf, which earlier crossed the Strait of Hormuz, will reach the country around 5 pm. The announcement was made by Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, during a media briefing.
"Shivalik LPG carrier, which sailed from the Persian Gulf, crossed the Strait of Hormuz and headed towards India, will be reaching today around 5 pm, maybe after an hour or so. And before its arrival, documentation, priority berthing, and everything have been arranged at the port so that there is no delay in the discharge of cargo by this vessel,” he said.
‘Seafarers in Persian Gulf safe’
Sinha further stated that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf area are safe, adding that no incident has been reported in the last 24 hours.
“We are keeping a continuous watch on the situation. We are in touch with each vessel and its crew. 22 vessels, as was reported on Saturday, also. 22 Indian flag vessels with 611 Indian seafarers remain in the west of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf..." added Sinha as quoted by ANI.
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"Indian-flag vessel 'Jag Laadki', which sailed from the UAE on 14th of March, is carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil, and is safely en route to India. The vessel and all Indian seafarers on board are safe. They'll be reaching tomorrow at Mundra Port..." said Sinha.
‘No crude shortage’
During the briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery), Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, ruled out any deficiency of crude oil in the country, stating that all refineries were operating at maximum capacity.
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"Crude is available in sufficient quantity. All refineries are operating at the highest capacity. Our petrol pumps are operating normally. No dry out has been reported anywhere...” said Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery), Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Indians in Iran moved to neighbouring countries
The government further revealed that about 90 Indian nationals from Iran crossed over into Azerbaijan through the land border, adding that the movements were facilitated by the Indian embassy in Tehran.
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"...We also have had approximately 90 of our nationals from Iran cross over into Azerbaijan through the land border. These movements were facilitated by our embassy in Tehran. They helped them with visas, as well as with immigration formalities that were required. In this group of 550 people that I mentioned, who have crossed from Iran into Armenia, we also have 284 people who had gone to Iran on pilgrimage,” stated MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Embassy relocating students to safer cities
“These people are there right now in both these countries. Some of them have already returned, and others will be returning in the next few days or so. Our embassy in Tehran, in spite of all the difficulties, continues to be fully functional. For the last few days, they have also been able to relocate students who were outside Tehran to cities which are safer for them,” he added.