Amid ongoing developments in West Asia, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on Tuesday outlined the steps taken to safeguard Indian vessels and crew operating in the region.
The Ministry continues to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions, and maritime stakeholders to ensure the welfare of seafarers and uninterrupted maritime operations.
All Indian seafarers in the region are reported safe, with no incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels in the past 24 hours. Since activation, the DG Shipping Control Room has managed 8,155 calls and over 17,399 emails, receiving 121 calls and 285 emails in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Through the Directorate General of Shipping, more than 2,857 Indian seafarers have been safely repatriated from locations across the Gulf region, including 28 in the previous 24 hours. Port operations within India continue to run normally without reported congestion.
The Ministry of External Affairs is closely monitoring developments in the Gulf and West Asia, concentrating on the safety, security, and welfare of the Indian community in these areas. The government prioritises the welfare of Indian seafarers, with Indian Missions providing assistance through coordination with local authorities, consular support, and facilitating requests for return to India.
Enforcement actions are ongoing nationwide to prevent hoarding and black marketing of LPG. Over 2,300 raids were conducted recently, with Public Sector Undertaking Oil Marketing Companies strengthening surprise inspections and imposing penalties on 336 LPG distributorships; 72 have been suspended. On April 29, 50 distributors received show cause notices and 11 were fined.
LPG supply remains affected by the geopolitical situation, with priority given to domestic households. No dry-outs have been reported at LPG distributorships. Online LPG cylinder bookings reached 98% yesterday on an industry basis, and Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) based deliveries have exceeded 93% to prevent diversion. DAC is sent to consumers' registered mobile numbers. On April 29, over 4.7 million domestic LPG cylinders were delivered against bookings of around 4.3 million.
Total commercial LPG allocation has increased to about 70% of pre-crisis levels, including 10% reform-linked allocation. In February 2026, 2.17 million 5 Kg Full Tank LPG (FTL) cylinders were sold; since April 1, approximately 2.175 million 5 Kg FTL cylinders have been sold. Around 70,000 such cylinders were delivered yesterday. Since April 3, PSU Oil Marketing Companies have organised over 9,750 awareness camps for 5 Kg FTL Cylinders, selling more than 164,000 cylinders during these events.
Consumers have been prioritised with 100% supplies to Domestic PNG and CNG-Transport sectors. Gas allocation to fertiliser plants has been increased to approximately 95% of their six-month average consumption. Gas supply to other industrial and commercial sectors, including those through Compressed Gas Distribution networks, has been enhanced to 80%. CGD entities have been advised to prioritise PNG connections for commercial establishments such as hotels, restaurants, and canteens across all Geographical Areas to address concerns regarding commercial LPG availability.