Kamal Ghorui
Two more Indian-flagged LPG tankers have safely crossed the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz and are headed towards Indian ports, even as 16 vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, officials said on Monday, according to PTI.LPG vessel Green Sanvi, carrying 46,650 tonnes of cargo, is scheduled to reach an Indian port on April 7, while Green Asha, with 15,500 tonnes, is expected to arrive on April 9, Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, said at a briefing.“Indian maritime operations remain safe and uninterrupted amid West Asia crisis. 16 Indian-flagged vessels with 433 seafarers are in the region; two LPG carriers, Green Sanvi and Green Asha, safely crossed Strait of Hormuz,” he said.With the latest movement, eight Indian-flagged LPG tankers have now transited through the strategic waterway, which has remained largely disrupted since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, followed by Tehran’s retaliation.Of the 16 vessels still in the Persian Gulf, one is a loaded LNG carrier, two are LPG tankers (one loaded, one empty), six are crude carriers (five loaded, one empty), three are container ships, one is a dredger, one carries chemical cargo and two are bulk carriers, Mangal said.On reports of Iran charging transit fees, he said, “we have no information of such payments.”The arrivals are expected to ease India’s LPG supply concerns, as the country depends on imports for about 60% of its cooking gas needs. Of the 33.15 million tonnes of LPG consumed last year, nearly 90% of imports came from West Asia.Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a key route for global oil and gas flows — has been severely affected since the conflict escalated, although Iran has indicated that “non-hostile vessels” may pass after coordination with its authorities.Last week, two LPG carriers, BW TYR and BW ELM, carrying around 94,000 tonnes of LPG, safely crossed the region. BW TYR reached Mumbai on March 31, while BW ELM docked at New Mangalore on April 1.Earlier, four Indian-flagged LPG tankers–Pine Gas, Jag Vasant, MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi–had also completed safe passage, delivering over 1.85 lakh tonnes of LPG to Indian ports in March.At the start of the conflict, 28 Indian-flagged vessels were in the Strait of Hormuz region. So far, 10 vessels–eight from the western side and two from the eastern side–have managed to transit safely.In addition, oil tanker Jag Laadki, carrying 80,886 tonnes of crude from the UAE, reached Mundra on March 18, while Jag Prakash, transporting gasoline from Oman to Africa, also crossed the strait earlier and is currently en route to Tanzania.
