New Delhi: Two Indian-flagged tankers had to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz due to firing by Iranian gunmen on Saturday, a tenth Indian-flagged ship transited the strait. Desh Garima was going towards Mumbai port carrying crude oil. Iran has been sporadically allowing passage of Indian ships since last month it decided to block the key energy strait amid the war with the US and Israel that began on February 28. Ship details available on maritime traffic show that many Indian and foreign flag ships destined for Indian ports are still waiting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Official data shows that 13 Indian ships are in the Persian Gulf (west of Hormuz), six in the Gulf of Oman (east of Hormuz), one in the Gulf of Aden and three in the Red Sea. According to the Petroleum Ministry, 17 vessels have been identified for evacuation, including four LPG carriers, three LNG carriers and 10 crude oil tankers. Of these, three are Indian flagged ships, while the remaining 14 are foreign flagged ships. Similarly, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has prepared a list of another 16 ships for evacuation, including an Indian-flagged ship (JG Arnav) which was attacked by the IRGC on Saturday. As of Saturday, there are 499 Indian sailors on board Indian-flagged ships in the Persian Gulf region — 343 west of the Strait of Hormuz and 156 in the Gulf of Oman, officials said. So far, 2,487 seafarers have been evacuated by various shipping companies. According to Reuters, ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday received radio messages from Iran’s navy telling them they were not allowed to pass, while two ships were reported fired upon. The report said several commercial ships tried to transit the strait after a notice to sailors a day earlier said passage was permitted but would be restricted to lanes deemed safe by Iran.