Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Another India-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker, Green Sanvi, transited east of the Strait of Hormuz, according to ship tracking data, making it the seventh Indian vessel to clear the maritime chokepoint safely amid the West Asia conflict. The vessel used a designated corridor through Iran’s territorial waters to navigate the strategically sensitive waterway.
The tanker is estimated to be carrying around 44,000 tonnes of LPG, roughly equivalent to half a day’s LPG consumption in India before the ongoing West Asia conflict. Industry experts say that two more India-flagged LPG tankers –Green Asha and Jag Vikram — are expected to cross the Strait and head to India in the coming days.
Green Sanvi is the seventh India-flagged merchant vessel to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the onset of the West Asia war, and all seven vessels have been LPG tankers. With its passage, there are now 17 India-flagged ships in the Persian Gulf region, east of the Strait. These include three additional LPG tankers, four crude oil tankers, one liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, one chemical products tanker, three container ships, two bulk carriers, and two vessels undergoing routine maintenance, according to shipping records.
India has been actively engaging with Iran at the diplomatic level to ensure the safe passage of its merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, which has largely restricted vessel movements amid the ongoing West Asia war, clarified last week that non-hostile vessels linked to countries other than the US, Israel, and their allies can transit the strait in coordination with Iranian authorities.
