Forward Seamen's Union writes to PM Modi, raises concern over 23,000 Indians stranded in West Asia conflict zone

Speaking to ANI, the union's General Secretary Manoj Yadav said a large number of Indian crew members remain stuck across vessels in the region. "We have a total of 22 Indian ships stranded in the conflict area, and there are also Iranian and foreign ships with Indian crew members on board. Around 23,000 Indian seafarers are stuck in the conflict zone, with only a few rescued so far. The rest are still stranded," he said.

He stated that the union has established contact with some seafarers, who have sought urgent rescue.

"The Forward Seamen's Union of India has contacted some Indian seafarers, who are urging for immediate rescue. We've written two letters to PM Modi regarding this issue. While some seafarers have been safely brought back to India, many more are still stranded on ships in Iranian and Israeli waters," he said.

Yadav also raised concerns over the condition of those on board vessels, pointing to limited supplies. "The ships have only about a month's worth of food supplies left, which is running critically low. The Indian seafarers on Iranian ships are unsure whether the attacks are from Iran or Israel," he said.

This comes days after Indian LPG carrier Nanda Devi arrived at the Vadinar port in Gujarat's Jamnagar, carrying 46,500 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas for ship-to-ship transfer at the anchorage.

The ship-to-ship transfer of LPG from mother vessel MT Nanda Devi to daughter vessel MT BW Birch commenced on Tuesday. Sushil Kumar Singh, Chairman of the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), went on board the vessel to facilitate and interacted with the captain and crew of Nanda Devi. This is the second LPG carrier that arrived in India after successfully passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday evening, the Indian carrier LPG Shivalik, carrying a total of 46,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, had arrived at the Mudra Port. Of this, 20,000 MT will be unloaded at Mundra, while the remaining 26,000 MT is scheduled for Mangalore. Earlier, the Chief Officer of the Nanda Devi vessel said that the initiative was taken by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Shipping Corporation of India, with the Indian and Iranian navies providing the necessary assistance to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

"I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this operation of crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The initiative was taken by the Indian Ministry, Shipping Corporation of India, with the help of the Indian Navy and the Iranian Navy. Vessel transmitted the Hormuz safely, now it is enroute to Kandla, Gujarat and will be serving a huge amount of LPG, 46,000 metric tonnes. This will help in the worldwide crisis of LPG. We will continue to serve the LPG in future also," he said.

Indian-flagged vessel, 'Jag Laadki', which sailed from the UAE, carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil, is safely en route to India, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Shipping Ministry said in an interministerial briefing on Monday. The official said that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf area are safe and no incident has been reported in the last 24 hours.

Consequently, there are now 22 Indian-flagged vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf, carrying a total of 611 seafarers. (ANI)