India's over 1.67 million tonnes of oil, LNG, LPG stuck in Strait of Hormuz

There were 28 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz when the war in the Middle East broke out following US-Israel attacks on Iran.

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday said that India's 1.67 million tonnes of crude oil, 3.2 lakh tonnes of LPG and about 2 lakh tonnes of LNG are stuck on the 22 Indian-flagged ships stranded in the Persian Gulf, waiting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Of the 22 remaining Indian-flagged vessels on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz, six are LPG carriers, one is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, four are crude oil tankers, one is transporting chemical products, three are container ships, and two are bulk carriers. Additionally, one vessel is a dredger, another is empty with no cargo, and three are in dry dock undergoing routine maintenance, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Shipping Ministry, said Wednesday.

All 611 seafarers on 22 vessels (on the west side of the Strait) are safe. Efforts are on to secure passage of the Indian vessels through the war-hit strait, he said.

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.

Overall, close to 500 tanker vessels remain confined to 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.

Reports are coming from the Gulf region that Iran may be allowing select vessels to transit the strait after verification. At least 4 vessels have transited outbound the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple of days with a short diversion via the Larak-Qeshm Channel.

This, they say, appears to be a verification process whereby Iran confirmed the ownership -- cargo and vessel are not that of US, or belong to those that Iran has permitted transit to.

The ships that have passed are three bulk carriers (two Greek / one Indian) and one Aframax tanker (Pakistan).