The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways confirmed on March 18 that all Indian seafarers in the Middle East are safe, with no incidents reported involving Indian-flagged vessels in the last 24 hours. Currently, 22 Indian-flagged ships, manned by 611 Indian seafarers, are operating in the western Persian Gulf. The Directorate General of Shipping is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with ship owners and Indian Missions.
The LPG carriers Shivalik and Nanda Devi, which recently returned from the Middle East, are now discharging their cargo as scheduled. The DG Shipping control room is functioning around the clock, having received over 3,300 calls and more than 6,300 emails since its activation, including 125 calls and 449 emails in the past day. So far, the safe repatriation of over 472 Indian seafarers has been facilitated, with 25 returning in the last 24 hours.
India’s maritime operations are running smoothly, with no port congestion reported, as confirmed by State Maritime Boards in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Ports are actively monitoring vessel movements and have sufficient storage capacity, including an additional 2,260 square meters at Visakhapatnam Port Authority. At Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), the number of stranded containers has decreased from about 1,000 to 770.
In related news, flight operations between India and the Middle East are gradually improving, with around 70 flights recorded on March 17 and approximately 75 expected the following day. Since March 5, over 50 daily flights have been operating, enhancing connectivity. While Qatar’s airspace is partially open, flights to nine Indian destinations have been announced, the airspace over Kuwait remains closed since February 28. Special flights by Jazeera Airways are anticipated from Al Qaisumah Airport in Saudi Arabia.
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