NEW DELHI, Mar 23: Two more Indian-flagged LPG tankers, carrying roughly a day’s supply of the country’s cooking gas, have safely navigated through the war-hit Strait of Hormuz and are expected to reach Indian shores over the next two days.
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LPG tankers Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, sailing close to each other, started from the Persian Gulf on Monday morning before crossing the strait, ship tracking data showed.
The two ships are carrying about 92,000 tonnes of LPG, said Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, at a news briefing. “The movement has started.”
Without disclosing the final port of destination, he said the ship typically took two to two-and-a-half days to transit from the Gulf to India.
Both the LPG tankers sailed through waters between Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands — possibly to make their identity clear to Iranian authorities before they cross the Strait, ship tracking data showed.
The two ships were among the 22 Indian flagged vessels that were stranded in the Persian Gulf after the war in the Middle East nearly closed the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the oil and gas-producing Gulf countries to the rest of the world.
Previously, MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 tonnes of LPG or roughly a day’s cooking gas consumption of the country, had safely reached the Indian shore.
Originally, there were 28 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz when the war in West Asia broke out following US-Israel attacks on Iran. Of these, 24 were on the West side of the Strait and four on the East side. In the last few days, two vessels from each side have managed to sail to safety.
LPG carrier Shivalik reached Mundra in Gujarat on March 16, while another LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached Kandla port in Gujarat the next day. Two LPG carriers had started their journey on March 13 and crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on March 14.
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.
Of the 24 remaining Indian-flagged vessels in the war zone, 22 are on the West side of the Strait with 611 seafarers onboard, while two are on the East side.
Sinha said 11 sailors on board these ships have since returned to India, reducing the seafarers on board to 600.
The vessel stranded on the west side of the strait originally had six LPG carriers, one liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, four crude oil tankers, one transporting chemical products, three container ships, and two bulk carriers. Additionally, one vessel is a dredger, another was empty, and three were in dry dock undergoing routine maintenance. (PTI)
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