Oil crisis: Russian crude tanker docks near Mangaluru port

Mangaluru: A Russian oil-laden tanker, MT Aqua Titan, chartered by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), has arrived in India on Sunday amid growing concerns over global energy supply due to the escalating conflict in West Asia.

The tanker is currently anchored in the Arabian Sea, about 10 nautical miles off the Mangaluru coast. The tanker was expected to arrive in India on Saturday.

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Its arrival comes at a time when global energy markets remain volatile, with supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions impacting crude and energy availability.

Earlier in the day, a cargo ship carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Texas, United States, arrived at the New Mangalore Port in Mangaluru.

On Friday, the Shipping Ministry informed that New Mangalore Port has waived cargo-related charges for crude oil and LPG from March 14 to 31. It also said that there is no congestion reported at any port.

During the interministerial briefing, Special Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, said all 22 Indian ships and 611 sailors in the Persian Gulf are safe amid the West Asia conflict.

"There has been no report of any maritime incident in the last 24 hours. All our 22 ships and 611 Indian sailors in the Persian Gulf region are safe, and we are continuously monitoring them... There is no congestion in any port...New Mangalore Port has issued a circular for waiver of all cargo-related charges for crude and LPG, which is valid from 14 March to 31 March," the Shipping Ministry official said.

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Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, Jag Laadki, successfully arrived at AdPorts Mundra in Gujarat, marking a significant addition to the nation's energy imports. Earlier, the two Indian-flagged LPG carriers safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz before arriving in India on March 16 and 17. MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi - carrying approximately 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG - crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 13.

This comes as the conflict in West Asia enters its 4th week, with trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz hampered.