Not aware of any Naval ship coming to UAE: Indian envoy

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Vande bharat, Samudra Setu, repatriation, Indian ambassador Pavan Kapoor, Maldives, Male
INS Jalashwa arrives in Kochi with the first batch of 698 Indians from Maldives.

Abu Dhabi - There have been reports in Indian media that 14 ships have been kept ready to evacuate stranded nationals from Gulf countries.

by

Ashwani Kumar

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Published: Mon 11 May 2020, 6:51 PM

Last updated: Tue 12 May 2020, 8:45 AM

There is no information about any Indian Navy ship coming to the UAE as part of the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate stranded Indians, a top envoy told Khaleej Times in Abu Dhabi.

Ever since operation Samudra Setu was announced, there were reports in Indian media that 14 ships have been kept ready to evacuate stranded nationals from Gulf countries and out of it two sailed on May 5.

INS Shardul attached to Southern Naval Command has been engaged to bring stranded citizens for Dubai, news agency IANS had reported.

Additionally, after navy warship Jalashwa entered Male port in Maldives, there were reports that a ship was off coast of Dubai awaiting approvals from the UAE authorities.

However, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Pavan Kapoor, said that till date he was not aware about any Naval ship.

"There's no news on any naval ship. Honestly, we haven't been told about any ship which is coming to the UAE," he said at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on Thursday, where a Hyderabad-bound repatriation flight left with 170 passengers.

When asked for clarity on whether ships will be here in coming days, he added: "As far as we are concerned, we have no information of any ship coming to the UAE as of now."

Meanwhile on Sunday, Jalashwa returned with 698 stranded nationals from Maldives to Kochi. A naval ship to the UAE will help repatriate hundreds of people, which as of now is down to 170-plus per fight.


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