NEW DELHI: Two Indian ships carrying LPG from the Gulf countries crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday morning, hours after India repatriated over 100 non-essential crew members of the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan that has been docked in Kochi since March 4. With this, three Indian vessels have safely passed through the war-hit, narrow shipping lane.
Twenty-two more 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 the 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.
Strategic analyst Brahma Chellaney attributed the clearance for the vessels to a deal reached between New Delhi and Tehran to facilitate the return of more than 100 Iranian sailors on a chartered flight on Friday night.
Besides the safe passage being an important milestone for Indian diplomacy, the cargo they are carrying is considered critical as shipping constraints have impacted cooking gas supplies.
The two ships were among the 24 stranded on the west side of the strait since the war broke out in the region. 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.
“Several of our ships remain on standby in the Gulf region. We propose to continue to coordinate with all the countries concerned to ensure a safe transit,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the briefing.