More India-flagged vessels cross Hormuz: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers Green Asha and Green Sanvi have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz — bringing the tally of Indian-flagged fuel carriers to have crossed the chokepoint since the war broke out to eight, Reuters reports, citing ship-tracking data.

The details: The two LPG vessels, headed to India, are currently in the eastern stretch of the strait, the newswire reports, citing LSEG and Kpler data. Green Asha, carrying around 15k tonnes, passed the strait on Sunday after docking at the UAE’s Al Rams port on 30 March, The Hindu reports. Green Sanvi is estimated to be carrying about 44k tonnes and crossed the waterway on Saturday. A third vessel with 20k tonnes of LPG — the Jag Vikram — remains stranded west of Hormuz, awaiting transit clearance.

Diplomacy played a key role: This follows high-level diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Tehran. Six other vessels — the Shivalik, Nanda Devi, Pine Gas, Jag Vasant, BW Elm, and BW Tyr — have already completed similar voyages and reached India. However, 17 India-flagged ships with 460 Indian nationals onboard remain stranded in Gulf waters, according to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.

Why it matters: India, the world’s second-largest LPG importer, is managing a sharp supply squeeze, with the government curbing industrial consumption to prioritize household demand. The country consumed about 33.15 mn tonnes of LPG last year, with imports meeting roughly 60% of demand — nearly 90% of which comes from the Middle East.

Tags: