The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways announced on 18 May that it has facilitated the safe repatriation of 3,217 Indian seafarers from various Gulf locations since regional tensions escalated in March. Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing, Additional Secretary Mukesh Mangal confirmed that 61 crew members were flown home during the past 96 hours alone, while port operations within India remain ‘normal and congestion-free.’
![3,217 Indian Seafarers Evacuated From Gulf Since Crisis Began; 61 Brought Home This Week]()
To further ease the administrative burden on shipowners and families arranging swift departures or crew changes, VisaHQ offers an online platform that can fast-track Indian visas, travel documents and passport renewals; its India division (https://www.visahq.com/india/) provides real-time status updates and professional support, helping seafarers focus on safety while paperwork is handled seamlessly.
A dedicated maritime control room, set up in early April, has fielded over 9,700 helpline calls and 21,000 e-mails from anxious crew and families, the official said. The centre logged 436 calls and nearly 1,000 e-mails over the latest four-day period, underscoring persistent uncertainty amid sporadic drone attacks on commercial shipping lanes. Officials highlighted the case of the Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier ‘Symi’, which discharged 19,965 metric tonnes of cargo at Kandla port on 16 May with 21 foreign crew on board, demonstrating that Indian terminals continue to handle critical energy imports safely. No Indian-flagged vessels have been targeted in the past 96 hours, according to Mangal. For mobility managers, the update signals improving evacuation logistics but continued vigilance for Indian nationals employed in Gulf maritime, oil and project sites. Employers should maintain real-time tracking of crew rosters, ensure insurance riders cover conflict-zone extraction costs and verify that passports carry multiple-entry visas for rapid rotation through safe hubs such as Muscat or Doha. The government reiterated that coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian embassies would continue until crews feel fully secure. Families have been advised to use only official helplines and to avoid misinformation propagated on private messenger groups.
To further ease the administrative burden on shipowners and families arranging swift departures or crew changes, VisaHQ offers an online platform that can fast-track Indian visas, travel documents and passport renewals; its India division (https://www.visahq.com/india/) provides real-time status updates and professional support, helping seafarers focus on safety while paperwork is handled seamlessly.
A dedicated maritime control room, set up in early April, has fielded over 9,700 helpline calls and 21,000 e-mails from anxious crew and families, the official said. The centre logged 436 calls and nearly 1,000 e-mails over the latest four-day period, underscoring persistent uncertainty amid sporadic drone attacks on commercial shipping lanes. Officials highlighted the case of the Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier ‘Symi’, which discharged 19,965 metric tonnes of cargo at Kandla port on 16 May with 21 foreign crew on board, demonstrating that Indian terminals continue to handle critical energy imports safely. No Indian-flagged vessels have been targeted in the past 96 hours, according to Mangal. For mobility managers, the update signals improving evacuation logistics but continued vigilance for Indian nationals employed in Gulf maritime, oil and project sites. Employers should maintain real-time tracking of crew rosters, ensure insurance riders cover conflict-zone extraction costs and verify that passports carry multiple-entry visas for rapid rotation through safe hubs such as Muscat or Doha. The government reiterated that coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian embassies would continue until crews feel fully secure. Families have been advised to use only official helplines and to avoid misinformation propagated on private messenger groups.
