Two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas are heading to India after crossing the Strait of Hormuz, providing some relief to acute shortages as the war in the Persian Gulf disrupts supply of the cooking fuel.
The ships were granted safe transit through the strait — which has been all but closed for nearly two weeks — after a deal between New Delhi and Tehran, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. They did not provide details.
The tankers — Shivalik and Nanda Devi — were chartered by state-run and should arrive in India next week, the people said. The vessels are owned by state-run Shipping Corp of India Ltd.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. An Iranian official familiar with the matter, who also declined to be named as he’s not authorized to speak to the media, said he could not confirm an agreement. Indian Oil did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
Both ships have signaled through their AIS systems, used by ships to transmit their whereabouts, that they’re Indian government vessels. Ship-tracking data shows that the Shivalik has already sailed through the strait.
The Nanda Devi appears to be in transit, although electronic interference around the waterway complicates accurate monitoring of location. Both loaded from Ras Laffan in Qatar.
India has been suffering acute shortage of LPG, used for cooking and industrial processes and in petrochemical units to make plastics. The country is the second-largest importer of of the fuel, and takes 90% of it from the Middle East.
India, which also takes a large proportion of its crude from the Persian Gulf, has been in talks with Iran to secure the passage of tankers through the strait.
A number of LPG vessels are now lined up to make the crossing, the people said.
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