Indian oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri to visit Qatar from Thursday

New Delhi: Oil minister Hardeep Puri is visiting Qatar, where he is expected to meet senior officials to assess when LNG supplies to India can be restored.

Puri began his two-day visit on Thursday, the oil ministry said. Details of the discussions will be shared only after his return, an official added.

Qatar, India's largest LNG supplier, declared force majeure last month after Iranian attacks damaged about 17% of its liquefaction capacity, with repairs likely to take years. India has not received a single LNG cargo from Qatar since the start of the Iran war, as the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut. Qatar accounts for about 47% of India's LNG imports.



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With a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran announced on Wednesday, India is reassessing the supply situation, hoping the truce will allow LNG cargoes to move freely through the strait. However, reports suggest only limited vessel movement since the ceasefire was declared.

In the past 24 hours, not a single India-flagged ship has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping ministry official said on Thursday. In the weeks leading up to the ceasefire, eight India-flagged LPG carriers had transited the strait. Around 16 India-flagged ships are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf.

India supports free and safe navigation through the strait, an official said, responding to Iran's reported plans to levy charges on ships transiting the route.