New Delhi: Amid reports that Iran and the United States will return to the negotiating table after weeks of standoff to end the war that has affected the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, officials said an early resolution of the conflict will be a major relief to more than 40 India-bound ships and a large number of Indian crew members who have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than two months. These ships are carrying LPG, LNG and crude oil, fertilizers and other cargo. The government has said 13 Indian-flagged ships are still in the Persian Gulf. Several foreign-flagged ships carrying goods bound for India are also stranded west of Hormuz. The government has drawn up a list of 41 priority ships for evacuation – 18 are loaded with energy products, another 16 are carrying fertilizers and the remaining seven are carrying other commodities. There is a dire need to free up these vessels to meet the energy security and fertilizer requirements that will be required for sowing of Kharif crops. Officials said efforts are underway to persuade shipping lines to return their ships to the Persian Gulf and a list of more than 22 such energy vessels has been made and shared with relevant agencies, adding that no movement can take place until the strait is open to commercial traffic. On April 30, TOI had reported that the Union Shipping Ministry had shared a list of “priority ships” bound for India with the Ministry of External Affairs, suggesting the option of diverting them through Oman’s territorial waters. “Not just us, every country affected by this blockade is waiting and hoping for an early resolution,” an official said.