Special Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, today informed that the LPG carrier vessel Shivalik will be reaching Mundra Port in Gujarat this evening. Addressing the Inter Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia in New Delhi, Mr Sinha said that documentation and priority berthing have been arranged at the port to ensure no delay in the discharge of cargo by LPG carrier Shivalik today. He also informed me that another Indian vessel carrying LPG, Nanda Devi, will arrive tomorrow. Mr Sinha added that an Indian-flagged vessel, Jag Laadki, which sailed from the UAE, is safely en route to India. He said that the vessel is carrying about 81 thousand tonnes of Murban crude oil. He further informed that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf area are safe and no incident has been reported in the last 24 hours.
Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma, informed that Crude oil is available in sufficient quantity and all refineries are operating at their highest capacity across the country. She added that petrol pumps are functioning normally and no dry outs are reported anywhere. The Joint Secretary also informed that Deliveries made through the Delivery Authentication Code have increased from 53% last month to 72% now. She said inspections are being conducted to prevent black marketing and hoarding. She also announced that City Gas Distribution (CGD) companies, including IGL, MGL and BPCL, are offering certain incentives to opt for Piped Natural Gas.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that around 550 Indian nationals in Iran have crossed into Armenia through the land border. He added that 90 Indian nationals from Iran have crossed over into Azerbaijan through the land border, and these movements were facilitated by the Indian embassy in Tehran. Mr Jaiswal also stated that the Indian Embassy continues to be fully functional amid difficulties. He said, for the last few days, they have also been able to relocate students who were outside Tehran to cities that are safer for them.
Joint Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, Aseem Mahajan, stated that since the 28th of last month, around two hundred twenty thousand passengers from the region have returned to India. He added that in Saudi Arabia, flights are operating from various airports to destinations in India. He informed that flights are also operating from Oman to various destinations in India. Mr Mahajan said that transit for Indian nationals in Bahrain and Iraq is being facilitated through Saudi Arabia amid airspace closure.
Mr Mahajan also informed us that the mortal remains of two Indians who had lost their lives in an attack in Oman are expected to be repatriated to India soon. He said the Embassy of India in Muscat is in constant touch with the families of the deceased Indian nationals and are coordinating with the concerned Omani authorities.
