NEW DELHI: 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.
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.
He said the empty vessel has since been loaded with LPG, taking the vessels laded with cooking gas to seven.
Once Pine Gas and Jag Vasant make their successful navigation, the number of vessels on the west side will be reduced to 20, including 5 LPG carriers.
He said that while the LNG ship is chartered by Petronet LNG Ltd, the LPG carriers have been hired by oil marketing companies, primarily Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL). The crude oil tankers have been chartered by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Reliance Industries Ltd and BGN International.
"Ultimately, we want to secure safe passage of all our vessels that are stranded in the region," he said. "Till then safe passage happens, the well-being and safety of our seafarers is our prime focus."
There are no issues with food or drinking water availability for the crew onboard the Indian vessels as well as Indian sailors on other vessels, he added.
Overall, close to 500 tanker vessels remain confined within the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. These include 108 crude oil tankers, 166 oil product tankers, 104 chemical/product tankers, 52 chemical tankers and 53 other tanker types.
Analysts say Iran may be allowing select vessels to transit the strait after verification. A few vessels have transited outbound through the Strait with a short diversion via the Larak-Qeshm Channel.
This, they say, appears to be a verification process whereby Iran confirms the ownership, cargo and vessel are not of the US, or belong to those that Iran has permitted transit to.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of natural gas, and 60 per cent of LPG. Before the war broke out, more than half of the crude oil that India imported came from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE, which use the strait for shipping.
As much as 85-95 per cent of LPG and 30 per cent of the gas came through the strait. While the disruption in crude oil has been partially offset through alternative sources, such as Russia, West Africa, the US and Latin America, gas and LPG supplies to industrial and commercial users have been curtailed.