* New Delhi says 18 ships flying the Indian flag are still in the Arabian Gulf
* Six tankers safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz, mainly carrying liquefied petroleum gas
* Iran allows the passage of “friendly countries” such as India and China
Written by Saurabh Sharma
NEW DELHI, A day before Israel and the United States attacked Iran on February 28, the Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Pine Gas, loaded cargo at the Ruwais port in the United Arab Emirates, hoping to return home within a week. However, it will take nearly three weeks before the ship safely transits the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran began selectively allowing ships to transit the narrow waterway.
Sohan Lal, a senior Pine Gas official, said the ship’s 27-member Indian crew saw missiles and drones flying overhead every day as they waited. In a video seen by Reuters, at least five projectiles can be seen streaking across the night sky above the ship. Lal said Indian officials had asked the crew to be ready to sail around March 11, but as the war escalated, it took until March 23 before the ship was cleared to move, but not through normal shipping lanes in Hormuz.
Instead, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps instructed the tanker to navigate a narrow channel north of Larak Island, off the Iranian coast. Indian authorities and the Mumbai-based Seven Island Shipping Company, which owns the ship, have agreed to go ahead only if every crew member agrees to the voyage, Lal said.
“They needed a yes or no from all the crew,” he said. “Everyone on board agreed.” Lal added that the Larak route, which is not generally used for shipping, was recommended by the IRGC because the normal passage through Hormuz was mined.
He said the Indian Navy guided the ship during the crossing before four Indian warships escorted it for about 20 hours from the Gulf of Oman to the Arabian Sea. They did not pay the transit fees and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards did not board the ship at any time, Lal said.
The Indian Navy confirmed that it accompanies ships flying the Indian flag after they cross the strait. The Indian Navy has been present in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea for years to secure sea lanes for Indian and other ships, the Foreign Ministry said this month.
LPG Crisis in India India relies heavily on seaborne LPG imports as hundreds of millions of families use it for cooking.
Pine Gas holds 45,000
I
Triple tons of LPG were originally scheduled to be unloaded at the Mangalore port on the west coast, but Indian authorities directed them to unload equal quantities at the eastern ports of Visakhapatnam and Haldia.
Iran said it allowed “friendly countries” including China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
While six Indian ships have exited the strait, 18 Indian-flagged ships carrying around 485 Indian sailors are still in the Persian Gulf.
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