NEW DELHI, May 7 (ANI): Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that 11 Indian ships have exited the Strait of Hormuz, while 13 vessels remain in the Persian Gulf.
Addressing a press briefing in the national capital, Jaiswal responded to reports suggesting that Iranian ships may be using routes through Pakistani and Indian territorial waters to avoid the US naval blockade.
“Regarding the reports that Iranian ships might be taking routes through Indian territorial waters to avoid blockades, if ships of other countries want to ply in international waters, no permission is required,” Jaiswal said.
“However, for the specific question of entering Indian waters, that is a technical issue that the Ministry of Shipping or the relevant technical authorities would need to answer,” he added.
Jaiswal said India’s diplomatic engagement with Iran had helped facilitate the movement of Indian vessels through the strategic waterway.
“We have had forward movement as a result of our diplomatic engagement and conversations with the Iranians. So far, 11 Indian ships have exited the Strait of Hormuz. Thirteen ships continue to remain in the Persian Gulf, and we continue to be in touch with the Iranian authorities so that the remaining ships can also cross the Strait of Hormuz and reach their destination in India,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Opesh Kumar Sharma, Director of Shipping at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said all Indian seafarers in the region remain safe and that no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels had been reported in the previous 48 hours.
Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Sharma said the ministry had facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 2,999 seafarers from the Gulf region, including 23 in the past 48 hours.
“The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways continues to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions, and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and uninterrupted maritime operations,” Sharma said.
“I am happy to state that all Indian seafarers continue to be safe in the region, and no incident involving an Indian-flagged vessel has been reported since the last briefing in the past 48 hours. No incident has also been reported on any foreign-flagged vessels carrying Indian seafarers,” he added. (ANI)
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