2 more Indian ships safely cross Hormuz

New Delhi: Two Indian ships carrying LPG from the Gulf countries crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday, raising the number of Indian vessels safely passing through the war-hit, narrow shipping lane to three. The remaining 22 ships on the west side of the strait are on standby as the Indian government engages with governments in the region for ensuring their safe passage. LPG carriers Shivalik and Nanda Devi are now headed to Mundra and Kandla ports in Gujarat, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in Ministry of Shipping, told a media briefing.

The vessels are carrying 92,700 tonnes of LPG, he said adding Shivalik is likely to reach Mundra on March 16 and Nanda Devi is likely to dock at Kandla the next day. Besides the safe passage being an important milestone for Indian diplomacy, the cargo they are carrying is considered critical as shipping constraints had impacted cooking gas LPG supplies.

India imports 60 per cent of its LPG needs, with 85-90 per cent of this being sourced from Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE who use the Strait of Hormuz as transit for shipping oil and gas to users.

The strait has been effectively closed since the first week of March. The two ships were among the 24 stranded on the west side of the strait since the war broke out in the region. Besides, four others were stranded on the east side. One of them, an India-flagged oil tanker, Jag Prakash, carrying gasoline from Oman to Africa, crossed the war-hit strait on Friday.

Sinha said of the 22 remaining Indian-flagged vessels on the west side, six are LPG vessels, one is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, four are crude oil tankers, one is carrying chemical products, three are container ships and two are bulk carriers. Of the remaining, one is a dredger and another is empty, holding no cargo. Three others are on dry docks, meaning on routine maintenance.

Hundreds of ships had been stranded in the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, and Tehran targeted the region in retaliation.

"Several of our ships remain on standby in the Gulf region. We propose to continue to remain in touch and coordinate with all the concerned countries to ensure a safe and unimpeded transit for them in our effort to ensure our energy security," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the briefing.