21 hours ago
4
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readMar 14, 2026 07:24 PM IST
Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Mina Al Fajer, UAE (AP Photo)
The Indian government has sought safe passage for 22 vessels stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz, the External Affairs Ministry said Saturday. Earlier, Iran had allowed a few Indian ships to sail through despite a blockade in the waterway.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has stayed in touch with countries in West Asia to convey its priorities, particularly on energy security.
Crossing the Strait of Hormuz
An Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker also transited the critical maritime chokepoint Friday night, according to ship tracking data. Shivalik, a large gas carrier (VLGC) of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) crossed the Strait of Hormuz and was in the Gulf of Oman as of around 12.45 am Saturday, as per the ship’s last reported position on vessel tracking data provider MarineTraffic.
Reports indicated that Nanda Devi, another VLGC of SCI, crossed the Strait of Hormuz shortly after. The vessels carry more than 92,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas.
The ships will reach the western ports of Mundra and Kandla on March 16 and 17, Jaiswal said in a press conference.
Contact with countries in the region
Jaiswal said India has remained in contact with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as well as Iran, the United States and Israel.
Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, said Tehran allowed some Indian vessels to pass through the strait. He spoke at broadcaster India Today’s conclave in New Delhi.
Story continues below this ad
Soon after the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran, the country halted most traffic through the strait. The waterway runs along Iran’s coast and carries around 20% of the global oil and seaborne liquefied natural gas supply.
Gas shortage in India
The blockade has led to a gas shortage in India, with the government cutting industrial supplies to protect household cooking gas.
The stranded ships include four crude oil vessels, six liquefied petroleum gas carriers and one liquefied natural gas vessel, special secretary at the Indian shipping ministry Rajesh Kumar Sinha said.
Jaiswal said, “India has also tried to build consensus among members of BRICS on the Middle East conflict.” India currently chairs the group, which includes Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa and has expanded to include Iran and other countries.
English (US) ·