Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker Shivalik, which has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, is all set to reach Mundra port in Gujarat on Monday.
Iranian authorities allowed two Indian-flagged ships carrying LPG to transit through the Strait of Hormuz. One of these ships is Shivalik, while the other is Nanda Devi.
Earlier, Shipping Ministry’s Special Secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha had said on Saturday that the ships named Shivalik and Nanda Devi are now expected to arrive on March 16 and 17.
He said, “All Indian sailors are safe in the Persian Gulf area and there has been no untoward incident involving them in the last 24 hours. There were 24 Indian-flagged ships in the Persian Gulf west of the Strait of Hormuz. Two of these ships – Shivalik and Nanda Devi – are Indian-flagged LPG carriers. These ships passed safely through the Strait of Hormuz late last night/this morning and are now heading towards India.”
The Secretary said, “These ships are carrying approximately 92,700 MT of LPG; their call ports will be Mundra and Kandla, where their estimated dates of arrival are March 16 and 17 respectively. As a result, a total of 22 Indian flagged LPG ships are now left in the Persian Gulf, with a total of 611 sailors.”
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had favored direct talks with Tehran as the most efficient way to restart maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz with the aim of safeguarding India’s energy security amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
In an interview with Britain’s Financial Times, the Union minister said New Delhi is currently in talks with Iran to facilitate the reopening of the vital waterway, which handles about 20 percent of global oil trade.
He said these discussions are “already yielding some results”, which shows that India finds it more effective to “reason and coordinate” with Tehran rather than disengage.
Jaishankar commented, “Certainly, from India’s point of view, it is better that we reason, coordinate and find a solution, rather than that we do not do so. While this is a welcome step, there is ongoing dialogue as it is a work in progress.”
The Minister highlighted the recent passage of ships through Shivalik and Nanda Devi ports as a practical success of this diplomatic strategy. These tankers carrying approximately 92,712 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) are currently headed towards Mundra and Kandla ports in India.
However, Jaishankar clarified that no formal “comprehensive arrangement” has yet been put in place for all Indian-flagged ships. He said ship movements were currently being managed on a “case-by-case” basis.
Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader’s representative in India Abdul Majid Hakim Elahi on Saturday reiterated that Indian ships will be allowed to pass through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Speaking in an interview with ANI, Elahi, when asked whether Indian ships would be allowed to pass through the strait, replied in the affirmative, “Absolutely, absolutely. Yes.”
Asked to elaborate on the matter, Elahi said, “I heard that our embassy had tried to provide an opportunity to some Indian ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz.”