New Delhi: An Indian LPG tanker carrying roughly half a day’s cooking gas supply has successfully crossed the war-hit Strait of Hormuz, while another vessel from Iran has reached the port of Mangalore, signalling continued fuel inflows despite regional disruptions.
“LPG vessel Green Sanvi has safely transited the Strait of Hormuz, carrying 46,650 tonnes of LPG cargo with 25 seafarers on board,” a government statement giving an update on West Asia developments said Saturday.
Sanvi is the seventh Indian-flagged LPG tanker to have transited the strategic waterway, which has remained effectively shut since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28 and Tehran’s sweeping retaliation.
Separately, an LPG cargo from Iran has arrived at Mangalore and is being discharged, according to the statement.
This perhaps is the first purchase of Iranian energy in seven years.
“LPG vessel Sea Bird carrying around 44,000 tonnes of Iranian LPG berthed at Mangalore, India on April 2 and is currently discharging,” the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a post on X.
The purchase follows United States last month waiving sanctions on Iranian oil ‘and refined products temporarily to ease prices that have skyrocketed since the start of the Middle East conflict.
After the passage of Green Sanvi, 17 Indian flagged vessels remain stranded on the west side of the strait.
Earlier this week, two LPG carriers, BW TYR and BW ELM, carrying combined LPG cargo of about 94,000 tonnes have safely transited the region. While BW TYR reached Mumbai on March 31, BW ELM docked at New Mangalore on April 1.
Prior to that, four Indian-flagged LPG tankers had safely sailed through the strait. Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, carrying 92,612 tonnes of LPG, reached Indian ports between March 26 and March 28. MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 tonnes of LPG, had reached Mundra port in Gujarat on March 16 and Kandla port in the state on March 17, respectively.
For a country that relies on imports from the Gulf nations to meet as much as 60 per cent of its cooking gas needs, the arrivals will help ease the worst LPG shortage it is battling in decades. India consumed 33.15 million tonnes of LPG last year, with imports accounting for about 60 per cent of demand. As much as 90 per cent of those imports came from the Middle East.
The US and Israel attacks on Iran and Tehran’s sweeping retaliation have all but halted shipping through the strait – the narrow shipping lane that is the conduit for oil and gas exports from Gulf countries to the world. Iran has, however, stated that “non-hostile vessels” may transit the waterway after coordinating with Iranian authorities.
Originally, there were 28 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz when the war in West Asia broke. Of these, 24 were on the West side of the Strait and four on the East side. Seven vessels from the west side and two from east have managed to sail to safety.
Besides the seven LPG tankers, the Indian-flagged oil tanker Jag Laadki, with 80,886 tonnes of crude oil from the UAE, reached Mundra on March 18.
Another tanker, Jag Prakash, carrying gasoline from Oman to Africa, had previously safely crossed the strait and is en route to Tanzania.
LPG carriers Jag Vikram and Green Asha are still in the western Strait of Hormuz. One empty vessel is being filled with LPG.
The statement said all Indian seafarers in the Gulf region are safe and maritime operations remain unaffected, with no incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels reported in the past 24 hours.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said it is closely monitoring shipping movements, port operations and the safety of Indian crews, while ensuring continuity of trade amid tensions in the region.
The 17 Indian-flagged vessels with about 460 Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region and are being tracked by authorities, including the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), in coordination with ship owners and Indian missions, it said.
The DG Shipping control room, operating round-the-clock, has handled more than 5,000 calls and over 10,000 emails since activation, including 31 calls and 129 emails in the past 24 hours. Authorities have also facilitated the repatriation of over 1,320 Indian seafarers so far, including 190 on the last day.
Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion reported, with maritime boards across key coastal states confirming smooth functioning.
