Two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas are heading to India after crossing the Strait of Hormuz, providing some relief to acute shortages as the Gulf War disrupts supplies of cooking fuel.
According to people familiar with the matter, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, the ships were allowed safe passage through the strait – which had been largely closed for nearly two weeks – following an agreement between Delhi and Tehran. They did not provide details.
The tankers – Shivalik and Nanda Devi – were chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corp. and are expected to arrive in India next week, the people said. The vessels are owned by the state-owned Shipping Corp of India Ltd.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An Iranian official familiar with the matter, who also declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said he could not confirm the deal. Indian Oil did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Both ships signaled through their AIS systems, which ships use to transmit their whereabouts, that they were Indian government vessels. Ship tracking data shows that Shivalik has already passed through the strait. Nanda Devi appears to be on its way, although electronic interference around the waterway makes it difficult to accurately track the position. Both loaded from Ras Laffan in Qatar.
India is suffering from an acute shortage of LPG used for cooking and industrial processes and in petrochemical units to produce plastics. The country is the second largest importer of fuel and 90% of it is sourced from the Middle East.
India, which also takes much of its oil from the Persian Gulf, is in talks with Iran to allow tankers to pass through the strait.
Several LPG vessels are now being lined up to make the switch, the people said.
