'11 Indian ships exited Strait of Hormuz, 13 still in Gulf,' says MEA

New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that 11 Indian ships have exited the Strait of Hormuz and 13 ships continue to be in the Persian Gulf.

Jaiswal, while addressing a press briefing here, was asked about reports that the Iranian ships might be taking routes through Pakistani territorial waters and then Indian territorial waters to avoid US blockade and whether there was a need to seek special permission from the Indian authorities to do that.

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"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. 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," Jaiswal said.

"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. 13 ships continue to be 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 added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Opesh Kumar Sharma, Director of Shipping at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, said 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.

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Sharma, while speaking at an Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia, said that the Ministry has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 2,999 seafarers, including 23 in the last 48 hours from the Gulf.

"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. 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 said.