Pine Gas & Jag Vasant: Two Indian LPG carriers scheduled to arrive this week after transiting Hormuz

Two Indian LPG carriers, Jag Vasant and Pine Gas, have safely transited through the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways informed on Tuesday. The two vessels will arrive in Indian ports this week.

Ministry official Rajesh Kumar Sinha said that the carrier Jag Vasant, carrying 47,600 metric tonne LPG, is scheduled to arrive at the Kandla Port on March 26. Another vessel Pine Gas vessel contains 45,000 metric tonne LPG and is scheduled to arrive at the New Mangalore Port on March 27.

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With this development, 20 Indian vessels are left in the Persian Gulf with 540 Indian seafarers.

The vessels have 33 and 27 Indian seafarers onboard, respectively, managing the transit through the critical chokepoint. The tankers commenced their journey from the Persian Gulf on Monday morning before traversing the strategic maritime passage.

The Central Government on Monday announced that these two additional Indian-flagged LPG tankers have successfully navigated the critical Strait of Hormuz and are anticipated to arrive at Indian shores within the next forty-eight hours.

These tankers were part of a group of 22 Indian-flagged vessels that were stranded in the Persian Gulf following the escalation of the West Asia conflict, which nearly closed the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the oil and gas-producing Gulf countries to the rest of the world.

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Earlier, Indian-flagged vessels MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi, carrying roughly 92,712 tonnes of LPG, arrived on Indian shores safely.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed the Rajya Sabha about the current situation, asserting that India has sufficient crude oil reserves and robust arrangements for continuous supply amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.

He also highlighted the expansion of strategic petroleum reserves and increased refining capacity, as global trade through the Strait of Hormuz faces disruptions.

PM Modi said, "In the last 11 years, strategic petroleum reserves have been developed to more than 53 lakh metric tonnes, and work is underway to expand them to over 65 lakh metric tonnes. Additionally, India's refining capacity has also been significantly increased in the last decade. I want to assure the House and the country through you that India has adequate crude oil storage and arrangements for continuous supply."

"The Hormuz Strait is one of the largest routes for global trade. A significant amount of transport related to crude oil, gas, and fertilisers takes place through this region... Our endeavour is to ensure that oil and gas supplies reach India from wherever possible. The country is witnessing the results of such efforts. In the past few days, ships carrying crude oil and LPG from several countries have arrived in India. Our efforts in this direction will continue in the coming days as well," he added.