All Indian seafarers, ships in Gulf region safe amid West Asia developments: Shipping Ministry

Speaking at a joint inter-ministerial briefing, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Rajesh Kumar Sinha said authorities are closely monitoring the situation and maintaining coordination with various stakeholders.

"In the Gulf region, there has been no information in the last 24 hours regarding any incident involving Indian-flagged ships or Indian seafarers. All are safe," Sinha said.

He added that Indian ships operating in the Persian Gulf are also safe.

"In the Persian Gulf, there are 20 ships sailing under the Indian flag, with around 540 Indians onboard, and they are also safe," he said.

Sinha further said the Directorate General of Shipping has been actively responding to queries and concerns through its communication centre.

"In the last 24 hours, the DG Shipping communication centre, which operates 24 hours a day, received 98 calls and 335 emails, all of which were responded to," he said.

The official also informed that Indian seafarers working in the Gulf region are being assisted in returning home.

"Additionally, in the past 24 hours, 25 Indian seafarers have been safely brought back to India after signing off from various parts of the Gulf region," Sinha said.

On port operations, he said there have been no reports of congestion and all activities are running smoothly.

"There is no information about congestion at any port. We have confirmed this with the ports. Operations at all ports are running smoothly," he said.

Sinha added that the government is maintaining continuous coordination with relevant ministries and stakeholders.

"We are maintaining continuous coordination with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions abroad, and other stakeholders in the maritime sector," he said. (ANI)