Gandhinagar, March 16 Gujarat Minister Jitu Vaghani said on Monday that the Indian vessel, Shivalik, carrying LPG, safely reached the Mundra port from the Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia crisis, thanks to the strong diplomatic relations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and world leaders.
The Minister of Agriculture, also the spokesperson for the state government, told the assembly that the ship successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz despite global unrest and tensions involving Iran, Israel, and other countries.
"Due to the successful diplomatic efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's Shivalik vessel safely reached the Mundra port in Gujarat, carrying LPG," Vaghani said in the House.
Another ship, Nandadevi, had similarly navigated the Strait of Hormuz and would arrive at the Vadinar port in Gujarat on Tuesday, Vaghani added.
Mundra Port officials confirmed that the Shivalik arrived with 46,000 metric tonnes of LPG ordered by IOCL.
While 20,000 MT will be unloaded at the Mundra port, 26,000 MT will be unloaded at Mangaluru, according to a statement from the port.
India imports approximately 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of natural gas, and 60 per cent of its LPG needs.
Prior to the US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and Tehran's retaliation, more than half of India's crude oil imports, about 30 per cent of gas, and 85-90 per cent of LPG imports came from Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The conflict has led to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the main transit route for Gulf energy supplies.