Jammu, Mar 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s global stature helped India safeguard its energy supplies amid the escalating military conflict between Iran and the US, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday.
He said that LPG and gas supplies to many nations were either reduced or completely halted due to the war situation, leading to a major crisis in several parts of the world.
“It is a matter of great pride that our prime minister has such stature and respect across the world that no one ignores what he says.
“Even today, when gas supply to many other countries has been stopped, after just one phone call from Modi, such is his respect and honour in the world, that our ships have already sailed from there,” the Union minister of state in the prime minister’s office told reporters in Kathua.
Recalling the Ukraine conflict, Singh said Modi’s intervention had earlier helped secure safe passage for Indian students stranded there.
Two Indian ships carrying LPG from the Gulf countries crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday morning, raising the number of Indian vessels safely passing through the war-hit, narrow shipping lane to three.
The remaining 22 ships on the west side of the strait are on standby as the Indian government engages with governments in the region to ensure their safe passage.
LPG carriers Shivalik and Nanda Devi are now headed to Mundra and Kandla ports in Gujarat, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping, told a media briefing.
The vessels are carrying 92,700 tonnes of LPG, he said, adding Shivalik is likely to reach Mundra on March 16, and Nanda Devi is likely to dock at Kandla the next day.
