An India-bound liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker has sailed from the Strait of Hormuz and is now heading for the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG vessel MT Sarv Shakti, carrying 46,313 tonnes of LPG and a crew of 20 (including 18 Indians), passed through the shipping hub on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, PTI said citing a statement.
Read also | A small tanker connected to Iran tests the US blockade with a move to the Arabian Sea
The shipment, enough for half a day of the country’s needs, will partially ease supply constraints that have persisted since the conflict in West Asia began more than two months ago.
On Sunday evening, the tanker was in the Gulf of Oman, according to ship tracking data.
A very large gas carrier that previously operated between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports has been chartered by the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti, the first tanker associated with India to cross the war zone
The Sarv Shakti is the first Indian-linked tanker to cross the war zone since the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports weeks ago, reducing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to near zero.
As of May 3, there are at least 14 Indian-flagged or Indian-owned vessels still stranded on the western side of Hormuz, which was closed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) days after the US and Israel waged war against it.
No incident was reported with Indian-flagged vessels during the 24-hour period
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the last 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways works closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
Read also | US-Iran War: 9 Indian Tankers Cross Strait of Hormuz, 18 Still Trapped
The DG Shipping control room has handled 8,373 calls and over 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
In addition, New Delhi has so far allowed the repatriation of more than 2,953 sailors, including 31 in the last day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal, with no congestion reported, the statement added.
Indian tankers turned around in front of Hormuz, and doubts opened again
In early April, several oil tankers, including Indian tankers, were forced to turn around in the Persian Gulf after they appeared to have tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, as shipowners and traders grapple with uncertainty over whether Iran will honor its pledge to keep the key choke point open to all vessels, Bloomberg reported.
The April 18 halts of five Greek and Indian tankers showed traffic moving through the key waterway after Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the strait fully open on April 17. However, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency later said the passage would still be closed if the US naval blockade remained in place.
Read also | Hormuz traffic halted as risk of US seizure of vessel widens
All the Greek and Indian tankers made their way northeast towards Hormuz from the oil-laden waters off Dubai before turning around on the morning of April 18. Some vessels remained idle near the Iranian island of Qeshm, while others stopped transmitting their position signal for several hours.
