Dozens of Indian-flagged ships and over a thousand seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and surrounding areas due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amidst ongoing military actions involving the US, Israel, and Iran.
Hundreds of Indian seafarers are stranded on vessels carrying crude oil, LPG, and LNG in the Persian Gulf due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, causing disruptions to India's energy supplies.
The tanker reportedly switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder while navigating the high-risk stretch of the strait and reappeared on tracking systems on March 9.
IRGC said vessels seeking to sail through the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran's approval; otherwise, they could become targets of Iranian attacks.
Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, on Saturday informed that five Indians have been killed and one is missing due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. He added that Indian missions remain open round the clock and are constantly working to provide assistance.
24 Indian-flagged vessels with 677 Indian seafarers were currently located west of the Strait of Hormuz, and four vessels with 101 Indian seafarers were stationed east of the strategic waterway.
With the Iran war escalating sharply and crisis deepening in the global energy market, India on Monday unveiled a coordinated plan to support exporters and shippers caught in the fallout.
The government is developing ports across the country as centres for green hydrogen production and export, Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of ports, shipping and waterways (MoPSW) said on Tuesday. "Across the country, over 12 million tonnes of green hydrogen-based e-fuel capacity has been announced.
Transportation via inland waterways is cost-effective and more environment-friendly than rail or road transportation
The fund will promote domestic shipbuilding of all types and sizes to reduce India's dependence on foreign ships.
Narendra Modi had stressed need for shifting focus from port development to 'port-led development' model to maximise gains
The Shipping Ministry will award 30 port projects during the current financial year, which are likely to come up at an investment of about Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion).
The central government's Great Nicobar development project, proposed around an unprecedented transhipment port, will be executed to keep environmental impact minimal, and is essential as it is of national importance, the government has said amid calls to abort the controversial project due to ecological concerns, the Centre said in an official statement.
The government has fixed an indicative value for Delhi's iconic 'The Ashok' hotel at Rs 7,409 crore under the national monetisation programme, according to sources. The Ashok and the adjacent hotel Samrat are among the eight India Tourism Development Corp assets listed under the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last year. The sources said investor consultation has already been undertaken and a cabinet note for the sale of the sprawling 25-acre property in the heart of the national capital is under consideration.
The ministry of railways has dropped its proposal for monetisation of stations on public-private partnership mode, and projects are now being taken up under engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode, a source said. The source also told PTI that the ministry of railways has been asked to expedite monetisation of other assets, including trains, goodsheds, hill rail, stadiums, railway colonies and railway land parcels among others. "Largest asset class (stations) dropped. Stations earlier proposed on PPP mode are now being taken up under EPC mode," the source said.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has released a draft to amend the Indian Ports Act, 1908, which aims to bring in sweeping reforms in the sector by bringing non-major ports into the national fold, creating a new mechanism for resolution of disputes, and empowering maritime state development council (MSDC). The draft bill will see comments from stakeholders before being tabled in Parliament. "The Indian Ports Act, 1908 is more than 110 years old. It has become imperative that the Act is revamped to reflect the present-day frameworks, incorporate India's international obligations, address emerging environmental concerns, and aid the consultative development of the ports sector in the national interest," the shipping ministry said.
The government will chart out a plan for the evacuation of seafarers stuck on international waters amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Union Minister Mansukh L Mandaviya has said. Thousands of Indian seafarers are currently stuck aboard cruise ships and cargo vessels in far off waters, and maritime bodies have been demanding from the government strategies for bringing them home fearing that delays might result in disruption in supply chain.
Shipping ministry to launch 16-km, 45-minute boat service on Yamuna
Since January this year, Indian exporters have begun to dread the shipping news. That's because most of it would be about another lot of shipping companies deciding to avoid Indian ports on account of delays.
The trade to-and-from India so far is not affected. But if the situation continues to remain the same for the next two to three months, it could definitely hurt India trade, including essential cargo.
Currently, India recycles around 300 of the 1,000 ships which are demolished per annum globally. However, countries like Japan, Europe and the US were not sending their ships for recycling to India in the absence of ratification of a global convention. That scenario is set to change with the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019.
The three Indian sailors on board the Somalian ship, which was hijacked in August, are safe, said Member of Parliament Shantaram Naik.The Union Shipping Ministry has confirmed the safety of all the three sailors, including a Goan, onboard the hijacked ship, he said.The secretary to Shipping Ministry A P V N Sarma has informed that the negotiations were going on between the pirates and the owner of the ship, Naik said in a statement released in Panaji.
The proposal to sell the building to state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust also comes after the government's efforts of Air India strategic disinvestment failed to take off.
In the next 25 years, the Mumbai port will need five terminals because the current passenger traffic of 200,000 is expected to climb to 4 million.
The protocol is being maintained with all help in case of fever or sickness to those on board.
The Shipping Ministry on Monday said it has set a target of awarding 30 projects, entailing Rs 24,633 crore investment, for the current fiscal to add 288.48 million tonne capacity.
"Yes, we met Shipping Minister G K Vasan, and he assured us that he would do something. Pirates have threatened to kill our children if nothing is done till November 3O. So, we have decided that till they (government) decide to get them released, we will not go from here," mother of Mehtab, one of the hostages, said.
Travelling to the Maldives might just get a little more exciting with the government now considering starting a sea route facility to the smallest Asian country.
K Mohandas, secretary, ministry of shipping, speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Mumbai said, "The proposal is that Indian public sector should acquire ships from Indian shipyards.
Nearly a third of 18,000 Indians, stuck in strife-torn Libya, would have been evacuated by Tuesday through air and sea.
Modi government expects cargo traffic at its ports to jump by two-thirds by 2021 as India ramps up exports of goods including cars and other machinery.
Among the various ways being considered by the central government to raise Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) from tax-free bonds for shipping ports, one is to allow major ports to themselves issue these.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is likely to approve the 20 per cent follow-on offer of Shipping Corporation of India next week, which may fetch close to Rs 1,400 crore (Rs 14 billion).
The Indian government on Friday said it has sought detailed information from all ports associated with DP World to assess the impact of Dubai debt crisis on Indian shipping sector.
The recommendations forwarded by the consultant will be put up for discussions among trade bodies and port authorities.
The 80-odd projects completed till now are already valued at Rs 14,000 crore.
In a response to the recent Mumbai terror attacks, the Union shipping ministry is planning to develop a low-cost satellite to monitor ships and vessels operating in the Indian waters. The ministry has initiated talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) to develop the satellite.
JNPT, the country's largest container port at Navi Mumbai, and Kandla in Gujarat's Kutch, the largest port by total cargo, will come together to form a Special Purpose Vehicle to operate the terminal at Chabahar, under a revenue-share agreement with the Port and Maritime Organisation, Iran.
With a view to creating a central command to focus on maritime security in the wake of Mumbai terror strikes, the Union Shipping Ministry is mulling the formation of a Bureau of Maritime Security, Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu said on Tuesday.The Ministry would make a proposal soon to the cabinet, which would decide on setting up of this central agency, he told reporters in Chennai on the sidelines of a seminar on maritime security.
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