New Delhi: A total of 28 India-flagged ships with 778 Indian seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf region due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the government said on Wednesday.
Of these, 24 vessels are located west of the strait, while the rest are in the east, officials said, adding that their safety and security are being actively monitored by the government.
“A total of 24 Indian-flagged vessels with 677 Indian seafarers are currently located to the west of the Strait of Hormuz, while four vessels with 101 Indian seafarers are to the east of the crucial waterway,” Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry told reporters.
Indians constitute almost 12% of the global seafaring workforce, with a total of over 320,000 active sailors, and attacks on merchant vessels during most recent conflicts in West Asia have resulted in Indian casualties too.
Two Indians were killed and another reported missing following two recent attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, said the spokesperson of the external affairs ministry, Randhir Jaiswal.
Officials said that a 24-hour control room has been operational in the ministry and the Directorate General of Shipping since 28 February to monitor developments and coordinate assistance.
“The Directorate General of Shipping issued advisories on 28 February 2026 directing Indian-flagged vessels and Indian seafarers to adopt enhanced security measures and comply with reporting protocols, including submission of crew details,” Sinha added.
energy crisis
As a result of the war in West Asia and blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, around a fourth of India’s natural gas supply has been affected, said another official.
Data from the petroleum ministry shows India’s total consumption of natural gas is at about 189 million metric standard cubic meters a day (mmscmd), of which about 97.5 mmscmd is imported.
Sujata Sharma, joint secretary, marketing, petroleum ministry, said: “Out of the import, about 47.4 mmscmd is affected due to force majeure. conditions. Procurement through alternative routes and supplies is underway to offset this disruption.”
“As I am talking to you, two cargoes are moving towards India and within a few days they will arrive, which will further strengthen the crude supply position in the country,” she said.
Amid the shortage in gas supplies, the government has already put into effect supply cuts for sectors such as industries and power and prioritized supplies to domestic piped natural gas for cooking, compressed natural gas for transport.
Under the Essential Commodities Act, the government on Tuesday ordered companies to ensure 100% assured supply of natural gas for city gas distribution (CGD). Industries and commercial consumers procuring gas through the national grid will receive 80% of their average supplies over the past six months, while fertilizer plants will be supplied 70% of their average allocation over the period.
The notification also mandates a 35% cut in gas supply to refineries and petrochemical companies.
Further, as the country is witnessing a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the official said that Indian refiners have increased production of LPG by 25% over the past week.
On 8 March, the petroleum ministry issued orders to oil refineries to hike LPG output and use their extra production for domestic use.
“India imports about 60% of requirement of LPG and 90% of this is through the Strait of Hormuz. The government has taken various steps to deal with this situation…Because of all these efforts, our domestic LPG production has increased by 25%, and this domestic LPG is being directed towards household consumers,” she said. On Tuesday, officials had said India’s LPG production has gone up by 10%.
India’s annual LPG requirement is about 31-32 million tonnes (mt), of which about 60-65% is imported, making it the world’s second largest LPG importer. The country relies heavily on West Asian supplies, mostly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
India’s LPG imports in FY25 were at $12.47 billion, producing 12.8 mt. Imports in FY26 had touched $11.25 billion by January. So far this fiscal year, as of January, Indian refiners have produced 10.6 mt LPG, as per data from the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC).
No need to panic
Amid reports of panic booking, the official said there is no need for panic buying but urged consumers to “conserve energy” due to the ongoing crisis in the global markets.
On crude oil supplies, Sharma said: “India’s crude supply remains secure. Our daily consumption is about 55 lakh barrels. Through diversified procurement, the volumes we have secured today exceed what would normally have arrived through the Strait of Hormuz during this period.”
Noting that oil marketing companies have secured various crude cargoes from different sources, and as a result of this diversification, about 70% of our crude import is now coming from routes outside the Strait of Hormuz, compared with about 55% earlier.
“As I am talking to you, two cargoes are moving towards India and within a few days they will arrive, which will further strengthen the crude supply position in the country,” she said.
Addressing a public rally in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu, prime minister Narendra Modi said: “The West Asia conflict has affected the energy supply chain of the whole world,” he said. “We believe in the ideology of India-first. You have seen how our government protects the interests of Indians above everything in any situation. Our efforts will be the same this time too.”
Modi said there is no need to panic or pay attention to rumours. “Let us spread only correct and verified information,” he said adding that India will navigate every situation successfully.
In a supply boost, member countries of the International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to make 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves available to the market to address any supply disruption stemming from the war in West Asia.
At the time of writing the story, the April contract of Brent traded at $90.78 a barrel, up a tad over 3% from its previous close.
Brent crude was at $72.48 barrel on 27 February. On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian targets. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel and US positions and warned that escalation could threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
