NEW DELHI: India wants to secure the return of its ships stranded in the Gulf before sending any vessels back to load fuel, a senior government official said on Thursday. “Our priority is to get all our ships out of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary at India’s ministry of ports, shipping and waterways. India will send vessels to the west of the Strait of Hormuz “whenever the situation becomes conducive,” he added.

India plans to send oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz for energy supply after government approval amid ongoing conflict.

State-owned Shipping Corp. of India is ready to go back to Persian Gulf once it has approval from navy and it has business from oil refiners, the report quoted a source as saying.