NEW DELHI: Till Feb 27, it seemed like a usual trip back home through familiar waters for the crew of the Indian-flagged ship. But everything changed dramatically, recalled a senior officer of the vessel — that returned to India early this week after crossing the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz — as the US and Israel launched coordinated, surprise airstrikes against multiple sites across Iran the next day.After loading the ship at Ras Laffan in Qatar on Feb 27, which is around 300–350 km (about 160–190 nautical miles) by sea, the captain and crew were all set to embark on their voyage to India. “But things came to a halt with reports and instances of major airstrikes. We took refuge at a safe anchorage at a port in the UAE. We faced a lot of problems as GPS started giving trouble and instruments on the ship were not working properly. This added to our anxiety levels. We were watching news and getting updates of the war and attacks which were happening in the region. We just followed the advisories and instructions of DG Shipping, Shipping Corporation of India and Indian Navy,” the officer told TOI on condition of anonymity.For the crew, apart from the risk they faced in the war zone, what added to their anxieties was the depleting stock of drinking water. “We had enough food to manage for more than a month. But potable water was becoming an issue. Cargo ships can generate very little drinking water when stopped, and that’s not enough to sustain crew members; in the case of older ships, this is reduced further. We could have managed for another 7-10 days with the water we had,” the officer said.This is because the onboard water production system or freshwater generators on such a vessel are linked to the heat and power generated by the main engine while it is running.Another big challenge was to keep the crew members motivated and instill confidence in them that the ship would be able to sail back to India safely given the govt’s focus on rescuing Indian-flagged vessels, which are crucial to its energy security. The cricket World Cup matches helped too to reduce the stress in the air on the ship.After an almost 10-day wait at the port, the crew got the good news on March 13 (Friday) that they could start their journey that night. “We had no prior information, though we were aware that the Indian govt was working hard for safe passage of Indian-flagged vessels. We were in touch with Indian Navy, which escorted us after we crossed the Strait of Hormuz. We were not in contact with the Iranian Navy,” the officer said in response to a question.News agency Bloomberg reported that the Iranian Navy had guided an Indian LPG vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing the ship to pass on a pre-approved route following diplomatic engagement by New Delhi. It said that during the crossing, the ship was in contact with the Iranian navy by radio and the Iranians took details of the ship’s flag, name, origin and destination ports, and the nationality of the crew members.There have been reports of at least eight vessels transiting Hormuz this week.
