People familiar with the development said two India-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tankers departed from the UAE for yet-unnamed Indian ports, close to the Iranian coastline, on a route set by the Islamic Republic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Ship-tracking data showed that the ships – Pine Gas and Jag Vasanth – had departed from the UAE coastline, with transponders displaying their India-flagged status, keeping their destinations secret.
An official of the Directorate of Shipping said that both are headed towards Indian ports and the Indian Navy will protect them once they enter international waters.
A second official, requesting anonymity, said one of them was probably headed towards Gujarat’s Dahej port, but the destination could change due to dynamic traffic and operational conditions amid the West Asian conflict.
Jag Vasantha is chartered by Bharat Petroleum Corp, while Pine Gas is carrying gas for Indian Oil Corporation. Last week, Iran allowed two India-flagged LPG carriers – Shivalik and Nanda Devi – to pass through the strait.
Three major west coast ports – Kandla, Mundra and Dahej – are being kept ready for ships, but Mundra port LPG storage facilities are currently full, HT has learned. “Ship-to-ship transfer for onward transportation is also a possibility,” the official said.
Stepping up diplomatic engagement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on March 21 for the second time this month.
The tankers are making their way through a narrow corridor between the Iranian islands of Larak and Qeshm, which Iran has designated for passing vessels. Sanjay Parashar, chief officer of Nanda Devi Tankers, told HT that the route is being monitored by Iranian forces and its navy, which had earlier provided navigation assistance to the two Indian ships in transiting the strait.
The safe passage for India-bound tankers is one of very few allowed by Iran through the vital waterway, which handles a fifth of the world’s crude oil flows. The expected cargo, especially LPG, signals a huge relief to the 333 million Indian households that depend on the fuel for daily cooking.