Indian Ship Green Asha Reaches Port Safely Amid West Asia Tensions

Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing, Additional Secretary of the Shipping Ministry Mukesh Mangal said all Indian seafarers in the region are safe and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours.

"No incident involving Indian flagged vessels or Indian seafarers has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Indian flagged vessel Green Asha, which crossed the Strait of Hormuz on 5th of April, 2026, has safely reached JNPA earlier today...," he said.

He further stated that the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) is closely monitoring the developments in coordination with ship owners, Recruitment and Placement Service License (RPSL) agencies and Indian Missions.

"The DG Shipping Control Room has handled 5,647 calls and 12,043 emails since activation, including 166 calls and 317 emails in the past 24 hours. DGS has also facilitated the safe repatriation of over 1,803 Indian seafarers so far, including 49 in the past 24 hours from various locations across the Gulf region," he stated.

Mangal further informed that the port operations across India are continuing normally with no congestion reported. State Maritime Boards of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Keralam, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry have confirmed smooth functioning.

"The Ministry continues to coordinate closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure the welfare of Indian seafarers and uninterrupted maritime operations," he said.

Meanwhile, regarding the safety of Indian Nationals in West Asia, it was informed in the briefing that the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates from 11-12 April 2026.

During the visit, he will meet the leadership of the UAE to review bilateral cooperation and further strengthen the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Additionally, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Puri, will be undertaking an official visit to Qatar on 9-10 April 2026.

Addressing the joint briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said strict enforcement measures are being undertaken to ensure smooth distribution and prevent irregularities in the system.

She stated, "Yesterday, around 3,300 raids were conducted, in which more than 600 cylinders were seized. So far, around 1,16,000 raids have been carried out. Oil marketing companies have issued 1,870 show-cause notices to LPG distributors, and around 53 LPG distributors have been suspended".

Despite the ongoing geopolitical situation impacting global supply chains, the government reiterated that domestic LPG supply remains fully stable.

"Domestic consumers have been prioritised and supply for household use has been ensured at 100 per cent. There has been no dry-out reported at any LPG distributor," she said.

India meets around 60 per cent of its LPG requirement through imports, and the current geopolitical tensions have affected supply conditions. However, the government has taken steps to ensure uninterrupted availability for households.

- ANI