New Delhi, March 24 – Navigating the Strait of Hormuz, the only sea channel linking the oil-rich Persian Gulf with open oceans, does not require permission from any country, a senior government official said as more Indian vessels prepared to sail through the war-affected area.
Rejecting the idea of allowing stranded Indian vessels in the Persian Gulf to sail through the strait only after reaching an agreement with Iran, which controls this narrow shipping lane, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Special Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said that shipping companies and their contracting entities take into account safety and other conditions when deciding to use the strait.
Ship movement through the strait came to a near standstill after the US and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, and Tehran's subsequent retaliation that also affected US bases in the Gulf region and Israel.
"No permission is required to sail through the strait," Sinha said during the media briefing on developments in West Asia.
He was asked if New Delhi had sought permission or paid Iran for the movement of its stranded vessels, particularly those carrying LPG – a commodity that has become scarce in the country due to the war.
The strait is governed by international navigation conventions, he said. "There is freedom of navigation through the strait."
Since the strait is narrow, only the entry and exit lanes are marked, which shipping lines must follow.
"The decision to sail (through the strait) is made by the shipping company and the charterer of the ship... it is the decision of the charterer and shipping company when to sail or when not to sail," he said. "Given these special circumstances, they assess the situation with regard to safety, etc., before deciding. No permission is required."
Two more Indian-flagged LPG tankers, carrying about a day's supply of the country's cooking gas, crossed the war-affected Strait of Hormuz on Monday and are expected to reach Indian shores on March 26/27.
The LPG tankers, Pine Gas, are carrying about 45,000 tonnes of LPG, and are scheduled to reach the New Mangalore port on March 27, while Jag Vasant, with 47,612 tonnes of LPG, will reach Kandla in Gujarat on March 26, he said.
The two ships, carrying 92,612 tonnes of LPG, have 33 and 27 Indian seafarers onboard.
Both LPG tankers sailed through waters between Iran's Larak and Qeshm islands – likely to clarify their identity to Iranian authorities before crossing the strait, ship tracking data showed.
The two ships were among the 22 Indian-flagged vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf after the war in West Asia nearly closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Previously, the MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 tonnes of LPG, had safely reached the Indian shore.
Originally, there were 28 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz when the war in West Asia broke out following US-Israel attacks on Iran. Of these, 24 were on the west side of the Strait and four on the east side. In the last few days, two vessels from each side have managed to sail to safety.
The LPG carrier Shivalik reached Mundra in Gujarat on March 16, while another LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached Kandla port in Gujarat the next day. Two LPG carriers had started their journey on March 13 and crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on March 14.
The Indian-flagged oil tanker Jag Laadki, with 80,886 tonnes of crude oil from the UAE, reached Mundra on March 18. Another tanker, Jag Prakash, carrying gasoline from Oman to Africa, had previously safely crossed the strait and is en route to Tanzania.
Of the 22 remaining Indian-flagged vessels in the war zone, 20 are on the west side of the Strait with 540 seafarers onboard, while two are on the east side.
The vessels stranded on the west side of the strait include five LPG carriers with about 2.3 lakh tonnes of cooking gas, he said, adding that another empty vessel has started loading LPG.
Besides, one liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, four crude oil tankers, one transporting chemical products, three container ships, two bulk carriers and three were in dry dock undergoing routine maintenance.
He said that while the LNG ship is chartered by Petronet LNG Ltd, the LPG carriers have been hired by oil marketing companies, primarily Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL). The crude oil tankers have been chartered by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Reliance Industries Ltd and BGN International.
Overall, close to 500 tanker vessels remain confined within the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. These include 108 crude oil tankers, 166 oil product tankers, 104 chemical/product tankers, 52 chemical tankers and 53 other tanker types.
Analysts say Iran may be allowing select vessels to transit the strait after verification. A few vessels have transited outbound through the strait with a short diversion via the Larak-Qeshm Channel.
This, they say, appears to be a verification process whereby Iran confirms the ownership, cargo and vessel are not of the US, or belong to those that Iran has permitted transit to.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of natural gas, and 60 per cent of LPG. Before the war broke out, more than half of the crude oil that India imported came from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE, which use the strait for shipping.
As much as 85-95 per cent of LPG and 30 per cent of natural gas came through the strait. While the disruption in crude oil has been partially offset through alternative sources, such as Russia, West Africa, the US and Latin America, gas and LPG supplies to industrial and commercial users have been curtailed.
