Strait face, secret plan: Inside details of how Indian ships cross war-hit Hormuz

INdia has welcomed several ships via the sound of Hormuz — francis scott key sea route that is mostly plugged for vas movement due to the US-Iran war — bringing not just essential resources to the country amid global energy disruptions, but also appreciation for diplomatic efforts to have Indian movement continue in the volatile waterway.Although the temporary ceasefire on April 9 stopped active combat, it has not led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz - the strategic waterway that normally handles about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. The future of the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the major obstacles in negotiations, with growing fears that the global economy could face further strain as pre-war oil reserves diminish.A lot goes behind the scenes to have the Indian ships cross the critical stretch of which Iran is a de facto in charge due to its geographical advantage and has targeted many vessels in warning to the United States and Israel.How do Indian ships cross risky HormuzAsked at a routine press briefing about the coordination between India, Iran, and the parties involved regarding movement of ships and which vessels are given a priority, the shipping ministry on Friday shared details of the efforts while keeping some information disclosed due to security reasons.“In terms of how we coordinate with India, Iran, how do we decide the priority, I would not like to, you know, tell you how we coordinate for obvious reasons. So we coordinate through MEA, and that is where we are,” said Opesh Kumar Sharma, director of shipping at the Ministry of Ports at the inter-ministerial briefing on Friday.He added that in terms of priority, it is decided in coordination with MOPNG [Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas], Ministry of Fertilizers, and thereafter the coordinated priorities prepared and through which we try and get the ships out.Does ship data tracking hamper movementSharma informed that there are about 13 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz — One is an LPG tanker, five are crude oil tankers, one is a chemical or a product tanker, there are three container ships, there are two bulk carriers, and there is one dredger, he said.“With respect to ship data tracker, these are commercial applications. I believe people can take subscription and it's open to all,” he added.Answering whether the availability of ship data in public domain hamper the movement of vessels. Sharma said, “It's very difficult to answer that. Any data which is public domain can be used either way by the person. It depends on his intention. But as of now, the data is helping us and you also to track the ships.”The movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz has mostly been halted due to Iranian retaliation to the US-Israeli February 28 strikes on Iran that led to a full-scale war between both the sides.India has maintained steady maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz despite ongoing tensions in the region, with several Indian-linked vessels transiting the critical chokepoint since February 28.The vessels that have transited the risky waterway, located between Iran and Oman, include Shivalik, Nanda Devi, Jag Laadki, Pine Gas, Jag Vasant, BW Tyr, BW Elm and Green Sanvi.India is among the countries with the highest number of vessels passing through the Strait.