New Delhi: Two Indian flagged vessels carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or cooking gas successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz Saturday morning, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said. Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, he said these ships will reach the country on March 16, and 17.
According to Sinha, there are currently six Indian-flagged LPG, four crude oil, and one Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier currently in the Persian Gulf. In all 22 Indian-flagged ships remain in the conflict region including Chemical, Container, Bulk, Dredger, Empty, and Dry dock vessels. They are manned by 611 Indian seafarers.
The peaceful transit of Shivalik, and Nanda Devi LPG vessels indicate an easing of tensions in the region and improved assurance of fuel supplies to India.
Sinha said both vessels are now actively proceeding towards India’s western coast, carrying approximately 92,700 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). “The vessels are scheduled to dock at the Mundra and Kandla ports,” he said.
According to industry estimates, these two vessels alone have sufficient volume to meet roughly one day of India’s massive domestic cooking gas demand. The country imports nearly 60 per cent of its total LPG requirement. Officials said domestic cooking gas production has been ramped up by around 31 per cent after vessel movement across the Strait of Hormuz came to a standstill, stunting global fuel supplies.
The country is also concerned about the nearly 23,000 stranded Indian seafarers in the region that are stationed mostly on foreign flagged ships, which have recently faced attacks.
“In the last 24 hours, 30 Indian seafarers have been successfully repatriated,” he said, noting all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf region are safe with no untoward incidents having been reported in the last 24 hours. In all 253 Indian seafarers have been repatriated since the start of the Iran-US-Israel crisis.
Sinha said the centre is maintaining a watch over the unfolding situation. “Authorities are coordinating closely with ship owners, recruitment and placement agencies, and Indian diplomatic missions across West Asia to ensure the continuous safety of the crews,” the Special Secretary said.
