Indian LPG carrier ‘Shivalik’, carrying about 40,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, reached Mundra Port in Gujarat on Monday evening.
The carrier arrived at the port after safely transiting out of the Strait of Hormuz late last night/early this morning.
Earlier today, addressing the Inter Ministerial briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia in New Delhi, Special Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, said that documentation and priority berthing have been arranged at the port to ensure no delay in the discharge of cargo of the Shivalik today.
The Shipping Ministry official further said that another Indian vessel carrying LPG, ‘Nanda Devi’, will arrive tomorrow.
The Indian-flagged vessel, ‘Jag Laadki’, which sailed from the UAE, carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil, is safely en route to India, Sinha said. The official said that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf area are safe and no incident has been reported in the last 24 hours.
Consequently, there are now 22 Indian-flagged vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf, carrying a total of 611 seafarers.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar championed direct dialogue with Tehran as the most efficient method for resuming maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, as India seeks to protect its energy security amidst intensifying tensions in West Asia.
In an interview with the Financial Times UK, the Union Minister stated that New Delhi is currently engaging with Iran to facilitate the reopening of the vital waterway, which handles nearly 20 per cent of global oil trade.
He noted that these discussions are “already yielding some results,” suggesting that India finds it more effective to “reason and coordinate” with Tehran rather than disengage.
“Certainly, from India’s perspective, it is better that we reason and we coordinate and we get a solution than we don’t. While this is a welcome development, there is continuing conversation because there is continued work on that,” Jaishankar said.
The Minister highlighted the recent passage Shivalik and Nanda Devi, as a practical success of this diplomatic strategy. The tankers, carrying approximately 92,712 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
However, Jaishankar clarified that a formal “blanket arrangement” for all Indian-flagged ships has not yet been established. He explained that the transit of vessels is currently being managed on a “case-by-case basis.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the Straight of Hormuz “is open, but closed to our enemies, to those who carried out this cowardly aggression against us and to their allies.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that the passage of ships through the key waterway would take place under special conditions due to what he described as insecurity created by Israel and the US in the region, adding that Iran’s armed forces control the passage and no country can use it to launch attacks on Iran.
He added that Iran, as a coastal country, has the right to take necessary measures in the Strait of Hormuz to ensure national security and prevent what he described as aggressors from misusing the waterway. Baghaei said Iran has historically been the guardian of safe passage through the strait but blamed the US and Israel for creating the current conditions.
Meanwhile, as the West Asia conflict enters its third week US and Israeli forces have continued to bombard Iran as Iranian counterattacks continue, with damage reported in several Israeli cities.
