Iran's decision to allow Indian-flagged vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz means the Indian Navy will have to escort these ships through the conflict zone safely. Consequently, the number of Indian naval vessels in the region is set to increase, a new report has said.
In order to ensure the safe passage of its fuel carriers, India is deploying more warships to the Gulf of Oman, a daily claimed, quoting top officials in the force. This additional deployment will increase the number of Indian warships in the region east of the Strait of Hormuz to six or seven, the report said.
Three Indian warships are currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman and are keeping vigil over fuel carriers headed to Indian ports from the region, the Hindustan Times said in a report. Earlier this week, the Navy escorted an Indian-flagged oil tanker that set sail from Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) out of the Gulf of Oman towards the country’s west coast, the report added.
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Since 2019, the Navy has been deployed to the Gulf of Oman to ensure that Indian-flagged vessels are not troubled by pirates or any other maritime challenges.
Meanwhile, Gujarat minister Jitu Vaghani said on Monday that the Shivalik, an Indian vessel carrying LPG, safely reached Mundra port from the Strait of Hormuz amidst the West Asia crisis, thanks to the strong diplomatic relations maintained by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with world leaders.
The Agriculture Minister, who also serves as the state government spokesperson, told the assembly that the ship passed safely through the Strait of Hormuz despite global unrest and tensions involving Iran, Israel, and other countries.
"Due to the successful diplomatic efforts of PM Narendra Modi, India's Shivalik vessel safely reached Mundra port in Gujarat carrying LPG," Vaghani said in the House.
Another ship, the Nandadevi, had similarly passed safely through the Strait of Hormuz and is expected to reach Vadinar port in Gujarat on Tuesday, Vaghani added.
Mundra port officials confirmed that the Shivalik arrived with 46,000 metric tonnes of LPG ordered by IOCL. While 20,000 MT will be unloaded at Mundra port, 26,000 MT will be unloaded at Mangaluru, according to a statement from the port.
