LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) bottles delivered directly to households by an authorized delivery person. | Photo credit: RAGU R
A few days ago, the government assured people that India has 45 days of “rolling stock” in LPG, indicating that supplies are sufficient and there is no need to panic. This consequence was a mystery to many as India has quite limited LPG storage capacity and needs regular shipments from abroad to the extent of an average of one LPG shipload per day.
According to government data, India has a total LPG tank capacity of about 1.6 million tonnes, of which about 53% is in import terminals, about 31% in bottling plants, 16% in refineries and related facilities. According to government data, this would correspond to about 17 days of consumption based on consumption data as of January 1, 2026, assuming all tanks are full, no fresh LPG has arrived and none has been produced in Indian refineries during that period. India has almost negligible long-term reserves such as caves, unlike Europe, for example, in the case of natural gas.
It could be said that a number of days can be added to the number 17 due to restrictions on LPG supply and commercial LPG supply. LPG is currently always transported as cylinders in India and this could also be considered.
A huge shortage
However, this still leaves a large shortfall from the reported figure of 45 days, even if all tanks are full, unless the government considers the LPG on ships that have been ordered and are en route to be stocks. It is industry practice to treat certain types of import shipments as inventory even though they cannot be considered reliable buffer stock. The term “rolling stock” usually refers to goods transported by trains.
More on the way
The Hindu was able to track 15 LPG tankers that left various ports in the US and for India using open source shipping data.
The Crystal Explorer, which left Houston, arrived at Ennore, Chennai, on Friday (May 15), while the tanker Hannibal reached Mangaluru on Saturday (May 16), according to marinetraffic.com.
The tanker Ethane Opal unloaded its cargo and left the port of Dahej on Thursday.
LPG tankers Vega Sky and Jirisan Explorer are scheduled to arrive at Vishakhapatnam and Ennore on May 22, according to marinetraffic.com. Jia Yuan (Dhamra) and BW Aries (Vishakhapatnam) are likely to arrive in India this month.
Future Ace, which sailed from the Nederland port in the US, is now in the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast. While marinetraffic.com has not shown its final destination, it is approaching Dhamra port.
Maritime data shows that the tankers Gas Planet, Pinza and Shergar, which recently left the US, are likely to reach Vishakhapatnam in the third week of June. Ethane Pearl and Clipper Guardian are due to dock at Dahej and Haldia by mid-June or later.
The total carrying capacity of these 15 ships is 8.38 lakh tonnes.
Among the 15 tankers, two vessels – Ethane Crystal (bound for Dahej) and Badrinath (Mangalore) – are heading to Port Louis, Mauritius, where they are likely to refuel before heading to India. According to Business Insider Africa, Port Louis has seen a boom in marine fuel sales following a surge in shipping around the Cape of Good Hope caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and threats of disruption in the Red Sea.
The Marshall Island-flagged LPG tanker Symi appeared to be floating in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. The vessel had been in the Persian Gulf since early March when it loaded its cargo in Ras Laffan, Qatar. She was among 20 ships marked for evacuation by the government because she was critical to India’s energy needs.
Reports say that another LPG tanker, the Vietnam-flagged NV Sunshine, has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered India and is now off the coast of Gujarat. It too turned off its AIS as it passed the choke point. The total carrying weight of both vessels is 81,572 tons.
The vessels described above could carry more than 1 million tonnes of LPG, but the list is not exhaustive. There could be more such vessels and spot purchases that the government can make from already loaded vessels.
India’s post-war LPG consumption was around 2.4 million tonnes in March – a reduction of 6,000 million tonnes compared to normal months. The shortfall in imports was about 1 million tons, which was replaced by increased domestic production. By that account, 1 million tons could add another 12 days.
Published – 16 May 2026 19:17 IST
