'Nanda Devi', an Indian tanker carrying about 46,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), arrived in Gujarat early Tuesday morning after safely navigating the Strait Of Hormuz, making it the second LPG carrier arriving in India in two days.
On Monday, Indian LPG carrier 'Shivalik', carrying about 40,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, reached Mundra Port in Gujarat.
Chief Officer of Nanda Devi vessel said that the initiative was taken by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Shipping Corporation of India, with the Indian and Iranian navies providing the necessary assistance to cross the Strait of Hormuz, critical naval chokepoint disrupted by the Mideast war.
Tehran has all but halted maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass.
India is the world's fourth largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and second-largest buyer of LPG, which is used for cooking and predominantly sourced from the Middle East.
Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50 percent as Iran attacks shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and launches waves of missile and drone strikes in the Gulf in retaliation for the joint US-Israeli attacks that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to official information, the LPG vessel Nanda Devi will not dock at Kandla Port as earlier expected.
Instead, the vessel will remain offshore near Vadinar in mid-sea, where the LPG will be discharged into two separate ships MT BW Breeze and MT Jag Pratap.
After the transfer, both ships will be immediately sent to Tamil Nadu, which will help save time in transportation.
The Nanda Devi's arrival comes amid broader diplomatic and logistical efforts, including negotiations with regional authorities and coordination with naval assets, to safeguard merchant shipping.
There are now 22 Indian-flagged vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf, carrying a total of 611 seafarers.
The Indian-flagged vessel, 'Jag Laadki', which sailed from the UAE, carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil, is also safely en route to India, said an official.
