UN made a plan: 11 thousand sailors including 1800 Indians will be rescued from the Strait of Hormuz.

New Delhi: The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important sea routes, is once again in the news. The months-long tension between Iran and America has affected the oil market as well as thousands of sailors. The situation became such that hundreds of ships remained stranded in the sea for months. Now the United Nations maritime agency IMO has prepared a big plan to rescue these sailors safely.

Why is this matter important for India   

Indian seafarers have a major share in the international shipping sector. One out of every six sailors working on the world’s merchant ships is an Indian. In such a situation, the Hormuz crisis has had a direct impact on Indian sailors and their families. The Indian government has already cautioned shipping companies about the deployment of Indian sailors in conflict areas.

how many sailors are stranded  

According to IMO, about 600 ships are affected by this crisis. These include oil tankers, containers and cargo ships. More than 11,000 sailors on these ships have been stranded at sea for a long time. Now the UN is working on getting them out safely. IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez said that 14 sailors have died in this conflict. There are plans to conduct a large-scale rescue operation for stranded sailors and ships.

America is strict on Iran’s toll collection   

Arsenio Dominguez’s statement came after reports of Iran charging toll from tankers came to light. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Hormuz is an international waterway and no country can impose duties on ships passing through it.

Safe sea corridors are being created with the cooperation of Iran, Oman, America and other regional countries to evacuate the sailors. The IMO says that due to war and security risks, the movement of ships had been halted for months, due to which thousands of seafarers remained stuck on the ships.

How many Indian sailors are affected?   

India is among the largest countries providing seafarers. According to government figures, about 3.5 lakh Indian sailors work on ships across the world. A large number are deployed on foreign flagged ships. According to DG Shipping, 1 in every 6 seafarers on international merchant ships is Indian. According to this, there could be around 1800 to 2000 Indians among the 11 thousand sailors.

Three Indians lost their lives in the attacks   

In recent months, several ships have been attacked in the Gulf of Oman and the Hormuz region. Indian sailors also died in some incidents. After this, DG Shipping advised recruitment agencies and companies to limit the deployment of Indian sailors in conflict areas. Three merchant ships were targeted in US Navy attacks in June. Three Indian sailors lost their lives on board the Setebello ship, while there were no deaths on the other two ships.