New Delhi [India], April 29 : India has repatriated a total number of 2929 seafarers so far with 29 Indian seafarers being repatriated in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said on Wednesday.
Addressing an interministerial media briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Mukesh Mangal, assured that all Indian vessels and crew currently in the Persian Gulf are being closely monitored, and confirmed that all seafarers in the region remain safe.
"All Indian seafarers are safe in the region. In the last 24 hours, there has been no report of any incident related to the Indian-flagged vessel," the official said.
"Ministry of Port, Shipping has facilitated the safe repatriation of 2829 Indian seafarers. In the last 24 hours, 29 seafarers were repatriated," Mangal added.
He further informed that the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has been actively handling queries and support requests, "DGCA control room has received around eight thousand calls and seventeen thousand e-mails. In the last 24 hours, we have received 114 calls and 276 emails," he said.
Tensions remain high in the Gulf region as the US and Iran have not reached an agreement to end the conflict. However, the temporary ceasefire continues to hold even after the April 21 deadline, allowing Washington and Tehran to take their time in negotiating the terms.
Trump has voiced significant dissatisfaction with Tehran's recent diplomatic overtures. He asserted that Washington will not advance negotiations unless the nuclear issue is tackled directly.
The US President also claimed that Iran had indicated it was in a "state of collapse" and was consequently pushing for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz "as soon as possible".
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has announced its decision to quit OPEC and OPEC+ to focus on "national interests", dealing a heavy blow to the oil-exporting groups at a time when the US-Israel war on Iran has caused a historic energy shock and rattled the global economy, as per Al Jazeera.