The Shivalik, an India-flagged LPG tanker belonging to the Shipping Corporation of India, docked at Gujarat's Mundra Port Monday after safely transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A second tanker, the Nanda Devi, also crossed the Hormuz and is expected to dock in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The Shivalik and Nanda Devi (when it too docks) are the second and third tankers to cross the Hormuz and reach India since joint US-Israel strikes on Iran last month triggered a war.
The first - carrying crude oil - was a Liberian-flagged tanker from Saudi Arabia.
The safe passage of the India tankers came after intensive diplomatic efforts; External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held four rounds of talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and, last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Each of the Nanda Devi and Shivalik is carrying around 92,700 metric tons of gas.
India is also working to secure safe passage for over two dozen other Indian-flagged merchant vessels still stationed on either side of the Strait. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping, told reporters a fourth India-flagged tanker - the Jag Prakash, carrying gasoline from Oman to Africa - has also set sail from the eastern side of the Strait.
The Hormuz - de facto controlled by Iran - became one of the headline fallouts after Tehran mounted an informal blockade that disrupted crude oil flow through the narrow waterway through which, under normal conditions, a fifth of the world's oil and gas trade passes.
The US-Israel attacks on Iran prompted a military response that included targeting of commercial vessels and tankers on the Hormuz. The heightened risk to oil and gas tankers on the critical supply route led to crude prices skyrocketing, rising past US$100 per barrel twice.
The volatility was underscored last week when a Thai-flagged cargo vessel, bound for Kandla in Gujarat, was attacked shortly after departing from a port in the United Arab Emirates.
Gas supply has also been a point of concern since the war started, particularly LPG, or liquified petroleum gas, cylinders that are a critical item in over 33 crore households across India.
India is the world's second-largest buyer of LPG, which is used for cooking, and its predominant supplier is the Middle East. Pressure on the Hormuz led to widespread concerns over LPG cylinder shortages. However, the government has said it remains in control of the situation.
LPG production has been ramped up by 28 per cent, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing and Oil Refinery) at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, told reporters.
The bookings spike that led to shortage fears was due to panic-buying, officials also said, urging consumers to stay calm, stressing that there is no crisis and warning against panic buying.
