NEW DELHI: India is deploying more warships to the Gulf of Oman for the safe passage of its fuel carriers as it expects Iran to allow them to pass through the Strait of Hormuz that is the centre of military tensions amid the war in West Asia, people aware of the development said on Wednesday. Indian Navy ship sailing in the sea. (Representational image.) (REUTERS)
The additional deployment will take the number of Indian warships in the wider region east to the strait to six to seven, they said, asking not to be named.
Earlier this week, an Indian warship escorted an India-flagged oil tanker out of the Gulf of Oman to the country’s west coast after it sailed from the Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The US and Israel’s attack on Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for 20% of global crude supplies. Twenty two India-flagged vessels are stuck west of the strait , according the ministry of shipping.
Three Indian warships are currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman, east of the strat, and a few fuel carriers have headed to India under their watchful eyes. Two India-flagged LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, recently reached Indian ports with 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG after transiting the Strait of Hormuz last week.
The Indian naval presence in the Gulf of Oman is maintained under Operation Sankalp, which predates the current military tensions in the region. In 2019, the navy deployed to the Gulf of Oman to reassure India-flagged vessels transiting through the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman following past maritime security incidents in the region.
The navy has not yet commented on its role in the region since the war broke out on February 28.
At any given time, one Indian warship has been carrying out round-the-clock anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since October 23, 2008, to protect Indian sea-borne trade, instill confidence in the seafaring community and act as a deterrent for pirates.