Apart from Indian vessels,10 foreign-flagged tankers with oil, gas bound for India are stranded in Persian Gulf

Of the India-bound foreign-flagged energy tankers currently in the Persian Gulf, three are carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), four are crude oil tankers, and there are liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, Sinha said. The India-flagged vessels stuck in the region include four LPG tankers, four crude oil tankers, one LNG tanker, one chemical products tanker, three container ships, two bulk carriers, and two vessels undergoing routine maintenance. In all, there are 485 Indian seafarers on these India-flagged ships. Scores of vessels from various parts of the world have been stranded in the Persian Gulf since the war began, with only a few being able to safely transit its fraught waters of the chokepoint that usually saw the transit of one-fifth of global oil and LNG flows.

So far, six India-flagged LPG tankers have managed to cross the strait over the past two-three weeks, with four having reached India to discharge their cargoes; two that crossed the strait on Saturday—BW TYR and BW ELM—are on their way to India, and should arrive at their designated ports between Tuesday and Wednesday, Sinha said. Apart from India-flagged LPG vessels, a few foreign-flagged crude oil tankers have carried oil to Indian ports from the Persian Gulf over the past few weeks, although the Indian government is unlikely to have played a significant role in their transits through the strait. On being asked when the India-flagged LPG vessels coming from the Persian Gulf would be sent back to the region to lift more volumes of the fuel, Sinha said that such decisions would be taken in due course as the top priority is to get the stranded vessels out safely.

BW TYR and BW ELM are cumulatively carrying about 94,000 tonnes of LPG, a little over a day’s worth of India’s consumption in the pre-West Asia war period. The consumption currently is lower due to reduction in LPG use by commercial establishments and industries due to the hit to LPG imports. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has created a major headache for India, which depends on imports to meet a bulk of its energy needs. Around 40% of India’s crude oil imports, over 50% of its LNG imports, and a whopping 90% of its LPG imports transited the Strait, making the chokepoint particularly critical for India’s LPG supplies. India’s annual LPG consumption stands at a little over 33 million tonnes, with an import dependency level of 60%. With 90% of India’s LPG imports coming from West Asia, the Strait of Hormuz effectively sees the movement of around 54% of India’s LPG consumption.

India has been engaged with Iran at the diplomatic level for safe passage of Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said last week that non-hostile vessels linked to countries other than the US, Israel, and their allies can cross the strait in coordination with Iranian authorities. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently said the strait remains operational for nations that have engaged with Tehran and are considered friendly, adding that vessels from China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan had been allowed to move their vessels from through the maritime chokepoint, according to Iranian State TV.

Even as the effective halt in transits through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be in place, there are strong indications that Tehran is selectively allowing some traffic to transit the strait’s fraught waters by providing negotiated safe passages based on its talks with other governments and stakeholders, according to industry watchers and vessel tracking data. Rather unusual routes through Iran’s territorial waters taken by vessels that recently transited the Strait of Hormuz are a major signal of Tehran running a checkpoint of sorts and regulating the flow of maritime traffic through the Strait, which accounts for one-fifth of global crude oil and LNG flows.

Last week, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the country has adopted a “responsible approach” by implementing “a series of precautionary measures” to prevent the “additional risks on ships and seafarers in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman”. “Accordingly, and as repeatedly emphasized, the Strait of Hormuz is not closed, and maritime traffic through it has not been suspended. Navigation in the Strait continues, subject to compliance with the aforementioned necessary measures and considerations arising from the wartime situation,” it said in a statement.

“Non-hostile vessels, or those belonging to or affiliated with other countries, provided that they do not participate in or cooperate with acts of aggression against Iran and comply with the declared safety and security regulations and measures, may, in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities, benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” it added, while maintaining that vessels linked to the US, Israel, and their allies “do not qualify as engaging in normal and non-hostile passage”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again emphasizes that any arrangements, initiatives, or mechanisms related to the safety and security of navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman must be undertaken with full respect for the rights and interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in coordination with its competent authorities, and with due regard to the realities arising from the aggression and the situation of conflict,” the statement read.