Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: A Liberian-flagged ship, “captained by an Indian national”, loaded with crude oil from the Saudi port of Ras Tanura has arrived at the port of Mumbai, via the Strait of Hormuz, Mumbai Port Trust has informed.Tanker Shenlong Suezmax, allegedly carrying approximately 135,335 metric tonne (or roughly 1 million barrels) of crude oil, had departed from the Saudi port on March 1 and reached Mumbai, becoming the first India-destined vessel to safely navigate the strategic waterway to reach the Indian shores amid the intense fighting in the Gulf.A source in DG shipping told TOI, “Captain is an Indian. Not all the crew on board Shenlong Suezmax are Indians. And the ship has a mixed crew of Indians, Filipinos and Pakistan nationals.”Though there is no official confirmation that the Indian captain activated the “dark mode” and navigated the ship towards Mumbai from the “blocked” Strait of Hormuz by switching off automatic identification system tracking (a radio-based system used by the maritime industry to monitor and track vessel movements in real time), the source told TOI, “GPS signals are pretty erratic in the Strait. In a war-like situation, the AIS tracking system is switched off.”The source also informed that “another ship is also on its way to Mumbai”. As per some reports, the second oil vessel may dock in Mumbai on Saturday.Earlier, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Naval Force said that vessels seeking to sail through the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran’s approval; otherwise, they could become targets of Iranian attacks. Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said that two ships that had ignored Iran’s warnings were targeted in the Strait on Wednesday.“Were the ships assured of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz? This should be asked of the crews of the vessels Express Rome and Mayuree Naree, who today, trusting in empty promises, ignored the warnings and intended to cross the Strait, but were caught. Any vessel intending to pass must obtain permission from Iran,” the Iranian general said in a post on X.According to Iranian state media, Iran intensified its restrictions on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran has said that vessels not serving the interests of the US and Israel can sail through the Strait safely. More than 20 million barrels of crude oil pass daily through the narrow channel separating the Iranian coast from Oman.
