Amid the evolving situation in West Asia, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on Tuesday outlined measures being taken to ensure the safety and security of Indian vessels and crew operating in the region.
The Ministry stated it continues to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions, and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and uninterrupted maritime operations. Officials confirmed that all Indian seafarers in the region are safe, with no incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels reported in the past 24 hours.
The Directorate General of Shipping control room, activated in response to the situation, has handled 8,155 calls and over 17,399 emails so far. In the last 24 hours alone, 121 calls and 285 emails were received, reflecting continued outreach and monitoring efforts.
Authorities said more than 2,857 Indian seafarers have been safely repatriated from the Gulf region to date, including 28 in the past 24 hours. Port operations across India remain normal, with no congestion reported.
The Ministry of External Affairs is closely tracking developments in the Gulf and wider West Asia region, focusing on the safety and welfare of Indian nationals. Indian missions are extending assistance through coordination with local authorities, providing consular support, and facilitating requests for return to India.
The government has placed high priority on the welfare of Indian seafarers, with officials reiterating continued support mechanisms in the region.
At the same time, enforcement actions have intensified across the country to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG. More than 2,300 raids were conducted nationwide recently. Public sector oil marketing companies carried out surprise inspections, imposing penalties on 336 LPG distributorships, while 72 were suspended. On April 29, show cause notices were issued to 50 distributors, and penalties imposed on 11.
Despite geopolitical pressures, LPG supply to domestic households has been prioritised. No dry-outs have been reported at distributorships. Online LPG bookings rose to 98 percent across the industry, while Delivery Authentication Code-based deliveries exceeded 93 percent, aimed at preventing diversion.
On April 29, over 47 lakh domestic LPG cylinders were delivered against bookings of around 43 lakh. Commercial LPG allocation has been increased to about 70 percent of pre-crisis levels, including reform-linked supply.
Data also showed continued demand for smaller 5 kg cylinders. Around 21.7 lakh such cylinders were sold in February, while approximately 21.75 lakh have already been sold since April 1. On a single day, around 70,000 5 kg cylinders were delivered. Since April 3, more than 9,750 awareness camps have been conducted, resulting in sales of over 1.64 lakh cylinders.
Gas allocation to fertiliser plants has been enhanced to nearly 95 percent of their six-month average consumption. Supplies to industrial and commercial sectors, including through city gas distribution networks, have been raised to about 80 percent levels.
City gas distribution entities have been advised to prioritise piped natural gas connections for commercial establishments such as hotels, restaurants, and canteens to ease pressure on commercial LPG demand.
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