Responding to a question, Rajesh Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry, said that three of the foreign-flagged vessels were carrying LPG, four were carrying crude oil and three were carrying LNG. He stressed that the government’s top priority is to ensure that Indian-flagged ships carrying cargo destined for India can pass through the Strait of Hormuz.Two LPG carriers carrying around 94,000 tonnes of cooking gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and are likely to dock at Mumbai and New Mangalore ports in the next two days.Replying to a question on how many empty ships might be sent back to the Persian Gulf for reloading, Sinha said, “We are not at the stage yet to start sending them (Indian-flagged ships) back.”He also noted that insurance premiums have increased. “The affected area is not just the Strait of Hormuz; areas beyond it are also high risk areas (HRA).” He added that commercial premiums accounted for 0.04% of the insured value before the war but have since increased. In one case, he said, the premium is now 0.7% of the policy value, and could even be higher.
