NEW DELHI: The government on Monday said that 10 foreign-flagged ships carrying energy products and bound for India are presently stranded in the Persian Gulf. This is in addition to 18 Indian vessels that are currently in that region.Responding to a question, Rajesh Sinha, special secretary of the shipping ministry, said three of the foreign-flagged ships are loaded with LPG, four are carrying crude oil, and three are loaded with LNG. Govt’s priority is to ensure that Indian-flagged vessels carrying India-bound cargo are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, he stressed.Two LPG carriers, carrying approx 94,000 tonnes of cooking gas, cleared the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and are likely to dock at Mumbai Port and New Mangalore Port in the next two days.In response to a question over how many empty vessels are likely to be sent back to the Persian Gulf for fresh loading, Sinha said, “We are yet to reach the stage where we start sending them (Indian-flagged vessels) back.”He also pointed out that insurance premiums have risen. “The affected area is not just the Strait of Hormuz; areas outside of it also fall under the high-risk area (HRA).” He added that commercial premiums used to be 0.04% of the insured value before the war, but have since gone up. He said that in one case, the premium now is 0.7% of the insured value, and it could be even higher.
