8 Indian ships have exited the Persian Gulf via Strait of Hormuz, 16 remain: Story so far, explained

How many Indian vessels are near the Strait of Hormuz?

India is among the countries that have been engaging directly with Iran at the diplomatic level for the safe passage of their ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has brought vessel movement to an effective halt amid the ongoing war. 

Last week, Iran said that non-hostile vessels linked to countries other than the US, Israel, and their allies can cross the strait in coordination with Iranian authorities. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said the strait remains operational for nations that have engaged with Tehran and are considered friendly, adding that vessels from China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan had been allowed, according to Iranian State TV.

As of early March, 24 India-flagged vessels were stuck in the Persian Gulf, which is to the west of the Strait of Hormuz. The number now stands at 16, with seven vessels — all liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers — having crossed, while another Indian LPG tanker is in the process of transiting on Sunday (April 5).

Daily tanker positions along the Strait of Hormuz from Feb 1 to Feb 15. The New York Times

At least two Indian LPG tankers, four crude oil tankers, one liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, one chemical products tanker, three container ships, two bulk carriers, and a few vessels are undergoing routine maintenance and still in the strait.

How many Indian ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz since the war?

As of Sunday afternoon, India-flagged LPG tanker Green Asha, estimated to be carrying around 20,000 tonnes of LPG, was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as per ship tracking data. It is the eighth Indian India-flagged merchant ship to transit the Strait since the West Asia war began. 

Green Asha is a mid-sized gas carrier (MGC) owned by MOL India, according to shipping databases. MOL India is the Indian arm of Japan-based global shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines. The ship tracking data did not indicate its likely Indian port of arrival.

The seven other Indian LPG tankers were very large gas carriers (VLGCs), with more than double the LPG carrying capacity of a mid-sized gas carrier (MGC) like Green Asha. They include:

1. 01

   Shivalik and Nanda Devi

   Owned by the public sector player Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), the two LPG tankers were the first India-flagged vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz since early March. They crossed the Strait between the night of March 13 and the morning of March 14.

   They cumulatively carried about 92,700 tonnes of LPG, a little over a day’s consumption of the fuel in India — around 90,000 tonnes — in the pre-war period. Shivalik arrived at Gujarat’s Mundra port on March 16, while Nanda Devi reached Vadinar on March 17.

2. 02

   Jag Vasant and Pine Gas

   The two VLGCs, together carrying over 92,000 tonnes of LPG, sailed close to each other and crossed the strait on March 23. Jag Vasant is owned and operated by Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Company. Another Mumbai-based shipping company, Seven Islands Shipping, owns Pine Gas.

   Jag Vasant arrived at Gujarat’s Vadinar port on March 27. Pine Gas, which was originally headed to the New Mangalore port, was diverted to Visakhapatnam, where it arrived on April 2.

3. 03

   BW TYR and BW ELM

   The LPG tankers, owned by Chennai-based LPG shipping company BW Global United LPG, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 28. Cumulatively, the two VLGCs carried about 94,000 tonnes of LPG. BW TYR arrived at Mumbai on March 31. BW ELM, which was earlier scheduled to dock at the New Mangalore port, was diverted to Ennore, where it arrived on April 4.

4. 04

   Green Sanvi

   This VLGC, carrying 46,650 tonnes of LPG, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on April 3 and is headed to India. The government is yet to provide information on the Indian port where the tanker is expected to discharge its cargo. Ship tracking data also doesn’t indicate its likely port of arrival. Like Green Asha, Green Sanvi is also owned by MOL India.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has hit energy supplies to India, which depends on imports to meet a bulk of its energy needs. Around 40% of India’s crude oil imports, over 50% of its LNG imports, and a whopping 90% of its LPG imports came from West Asia through the strait.

India’s annual LPG consumption stands at a little over 33 million tonnes, or about 90,000 tonnes a day, with an import dependency level of 60%. With 90% of India’s LPG imports coming from West Asia, the Strait of Hormuz effectively sees the movement of around 54% of India’s LPG consumption.

In addition to these Indian ships in the Persian Gulf, two more India-flagged vessels left the region in recent weeks, all being from the east of the Strait of Hormuz, meaning they did not have to cross the strait. These were:

Jag Laadki: This India-flagged crude oil tanker, owned by Great Eastern Shipping Company, was loading oil at the UAE’s Fujairah port on March 14, when the oil terminal there came under attack. The ship and its crew were unharmed in the attack, and departed for India on March 15, carrying around 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude — a crude grade produced by the UAE. 

The tanker reached Gujarat’s Mundra port on March 18. The volume on board Jag Laadki was about 11% of the crude oil volumes Indian refiners process in a day. Fujairah, which is just outside the Strait of Hormuz on the south-eastern side, is among the few ports in West Asia not directly constricted by the Strait.

Jag Prakash: Also owned and operated by Great Eastern Shipping Company, it had departed with gasoline, or petrol, from Sohar in Oman on March 13 for its intended destination of Tanga in Tanzania. Sohar, like Fujairah, is to the south-east of the Strait of Hormuz, which means that unless a vessel has to enter the Persian Gulf from there, it doesn’t need to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Hormuz crossings evidently with Iran’s nod

Only a few vessels have been able to safely transit the strait since the war, and that, too, in coordination with Iran. Like most others, Indian vessels have also sailed through Iranian waters between the country’s Larak and Qeshm islands, instead of taking the shorter and straighter conventional path through the middle of the strait, ship tracking data shows. 

The rather unusual routes are a major signal of Tehran running a checkpoint of sorts and regulating the flow of maritime traffic.

Last week, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the country has adopted a “responsible approach” by implementing “a series of precautionary measures” to prevent the “additional risks on ships and seafarers in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman”.

“Accordingly, and as repeatedly emphasized, the Strait of Hormuz is not closed, and maritime traffic through it has not been suspended. Navigation in the Strait continues, subject to compliance with the aforementioned necessary measures and considerations arising from the wartime situation,” it said in a statement.

“Non-hostile vessels, or those belonging to or affiliated with other countries, provided that they do not participate in or cooperate with acts of aggression against Iran and comply with the declared safety and security regulations and measures, may, in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities, benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.

“Any arrangements, initiatives, or mechanisms related to the safety and security of navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman must be undertaken with full respect for the rights and interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in coordination with its competent authorities, and with due regard to the realities arising from the aggression and the situation of conflict,” the statement read.