Three India-flagged ships cross Strait of Hormuz, safe passage secured, says Sonowal

The Desh Vaibhav is expected to arrive in Vadinar on June 24 with 37 Indian seafarers on board and is carrying a cargo of 2,86,572 MT.

Three India-flagged crude oil tankers safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, and are scheduled to arrive in India soon, well-placed sources in the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways said.

The Desh Vaibhav is expected to arrive in Vadinar on June 24 with 37 Indian seafarers on board and is carrying a cargo of 2,86,572 MT.

Another vessel, Desh Vibhor, is expected at Sikka on June 24 just after Desh Vaibhav arrives. It has 27 Indians on board and is carrying 2,88,893 MT crude oil.

The third ship, Sanmar Herald, which was headed for Paradip Port on the eastern coast of India, will arrive on July 1. It has 30 Indian seafarers on board, and is carrying 2,85,400 MT.

Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in a post on X said: “Safe passage secured! 3 Indian-flagged crude oil tankers, Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor and Sanmar Herald carrying over 8.6 Lakh MT of cargo with 94 Indian crew members have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz today and are en route to India. Under the decisive leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji, GoI is working on highest priority to secure India’s maritime interests. Our Ministry is actively coordinating with all relevant agencies to guarantee the absolute safety of Bharat’s seafarers and energy lifelines.”

At the time of the tenuous US-Iran agreement to put an end to hostilities and go into negotiations signed days ago — which is again seeming in jeopardy because of Israel’s attack on Lebanon — 13 India-flagged ships were stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

Days before the US and Iran signed the agreement, three Indian seafarers on a Palau-flagged ship were killed in US missile strikes while trying to transit through the Strait.

The three seafarers were identified by the government as Suresh Patnala, chief engineer; Shivanand Chorasiya, fitter; and Aditya Sharms, cadet. This led to much domestic outcry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi broached the issue of safety of seafarers in his meeting with US President Donald Trump during the recent G7 Summit. The opposition has been critical of the PM for not taking a tough line on the issue through a public statement condemning it.

Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More

Three India-flagged crude oil tankers safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, and are scheduled to arrive in India soon, well-placed sources in the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways said.

The Desh Vaibhav is expected to arrive in Vadinar on June 24 with 37 Indian seafarers on board and is carrying a cargo of 2,86,572 MT.

Another vessel, Desh Vibhor, is expected at Sikka on June 24 just after Desh Vaibhav arrives. It has 27 Indians on board and is carrying 2,88,893 MT crude oil.

The third ship, Sanmar Herald, which was headed for Paradip Port on the eastern coast of India, will arrive on July 1. It has 30 Indian seafarers on board, and is carrying 2,85,400 MT.

Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in a post on X said: “Safe passage secured! 3 Indian-flagged crude oil tankers, Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor and Sanmar Herald carrying over 8.6 Lakh MT of cargo with 94 Indian crew members have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz today and are en route to India. Under the decisive leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji, GoI is working on highest priority to secure India’s maritime interests. Our Ministry is actively coordinating with all relevant agencies to guarantee the absolute safety of Bharat’s seafarers and energy lifelines.”

At the time of the tenuous US-Iran agreement to put an end to hostilities and go into negotiations signed days ago — which is again seeming in jeopardy because of Israel’s attack on Lebanon — 13 India-flagged ships were stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

Days before the US and Iran signed the agreement, three Indian seafarers on a Palau-flagged ship were killed in US missile strikes while trying to transit through the Strait.

The three seafarers were identified by the government as Suresh Patnala, chief engineer; Shivanand Chorasiya, fitter; and Aditya Sharms, cadet. This led to much domestic outcry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi broached the issue of safety of seafarers in his meeting with US President Donald Trump during the recent G7 Summit. The opposition has been critical of the PM for not taking a tough line on the issue through a public statement condemning it.