NEW DELHI: Indian maritime regulator, DG Shipping, in a submission to the Cabinet Secretariat, has said that “coordination is ongoing to enable a plan for naval escorts and other protective measures” for safe exit of 22 Indian and India-bound foreign ships through the Strait of Hormuz.It said that the 22 vessels have been identified for evacuation and 20 of these are energy-critical vessels. In addition, two Indian-flagged container vessels have been identified for evacuation to ensure secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The report doesn’t specify the naval escort.Earlier in a meeting with DG Shipping, the Indian National Shipowners’ Association had sought the help of the Indian Navy for safe passage of Indian-flagged vessels.Currently, Indian Navy warships are deployed in the conflict-hit Gulf region as part of ‘Operation Sankalp’ and they are keeping a constant vigil on India-bound cargo vessels stranded in the Strait. Three oil and LPG tankers that moved out of the Strait recently towards India safely were also under the constant vigil of the Navy ships.It has been learnt that the Indian govt is in direct talks with Iranian govt for the safe passage of the 22 India-bound stranded cargo vessels. Navy warships are currently maintaining a presence near the Strait.