All Indian seafarers, ships in Gulf region are safe: Govt

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) All Indian seafarers in the Gulf region are safe, and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Ports and Shipping said on Tuesday.

The Directorate General (DG) of Shipping has facilitated the safe repatriation of over 2,262 Indian seafarers so far, including 85 in the past 24 hours, from various locations across the Gulf region, a ministry statement said.

The DG Shipping Control Room has handled 6,292 calls and more than 13,228 emails since activation, including 219 calls and 361 emails in the past 24 hours.

Port operations across India also continue normally with no congestion reported, the statement said.

The Ministry continues to coordinate closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure the welfare of Indian seafarers and uninterrupted maritime operations, the statement said.

Across the region, Indian Missions and Posts remain in close contact with the Indian community, while continuing to provide assistance and issue necessary advisories for their safety and well-being, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs has continued its outreach to countries in West Asia. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to the Foreign Minister of Kuwait and discussed the regional situation and the well-being of the Indian community. He also spoke with the Foreign Minister of Israel and discussed various aspects of the conflict in West Asia.

Further, the External Affairs Minister also spoke to his Singaporean and Australian counterparts to discuss issues related to the conflict in West Asia.

The Ministry is also in regular contact with state governments and Union Territories for better sharing of information and coordination. Efforts remain focused on ensuring the safety, security and welfare of the Indian community in the region, the statement added.

Indian Missions and Posts continue to operate round-the-clock helplines and are proactively assisting Indian nationals. They remain in close contact with the local governments.

–IANS

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