India launches operation to evacuate 13 vessels from Strait of Hormuz amid Gulf tensions

India on Friday (May 29) launched a high-priority operation to safely extract 13 Indian-flagged commercial vessels from the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region. The move is part of a broader effort involving multiple ministries to safeguard Indian citizens, seafarers, and commercial interests as regional instability grows. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued an urgent directive, strongly advising Indian nationals against travelling to Iran.

Opesh Kumar Sharma, Director at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, confirmed that a specialised tactical plan is being deployed to extract the stranded domestic fleet in the strategic waterway.

“A coordinated priority is prepared through which we try to get our ships out. Currently, there are about 13 Indian-flagged vessels there: one LPG tanker, five crude oil tankers, one chemical or product tanker, three container ships, two bulk carriers, and one dredger. Our priority is to get our ships out that are currently inside,” he said.

He highlighted the successful transit of the Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker Nissos Keros through the Strait of Hormuz on May 25–26. The vessel, carrying approximately 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil and bound for Visakhapatnam, is expected to arrive on June 3. Officials confirmed that all Indian seafarers in the region remain safe, with no hostile incidents reported so far.

The Directorate General of Shipping’s emergency control room has handled over 10,800 calls and 24,000 emails since its activation. More than 3,422 Indian seafarers have been safely brought home from the Gulf region, including 47 in the last four days.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs has advised Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Iran and urged those already there to leave with assistance from the Indian Embassy. Additional Secretary (Gulf) Aseem R Mahajan said Indian missions are actively supporting citizens, seafarers, and businesses across the region.

“We have advised Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Iran and urged all those already there to leave with our embassy's support. So far, our embassy in Tehran has facilitated the movement of 2,557 Indian nationals out of Iran through land border routes. Israel's airspace is open, and limited flight operations have resumed to destinations in the region, which can be used for onward travel to India,” he said.

The government added that despite the escalating regional tensions, airspace in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait remains fully operational, with airlines including Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo continuing services and assisting in the repatriation of Indian nationals. While Iraq is operating a limited number of flights, airspace in Qatar and Iran remains partially open, allowing restricted flight operations to continue.
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